Capu 4
by keithallen
Summary: Continuation of my Capu3. Now that high school is over, will Tsukune and the gang live peacefully and happily ever after? HA! you should know better than that. New villans, new toubles as well as old await them. The Genre selections here are far too tight to encompass this story, so expect variations from the Genre listed
1. Chapter 1

**Rosario + a new year** CH 1

***Author's note : The characters are off doing different thigns, so the first couple chapters will be bit slow to 'catch up' on who's doing what'**

The murmur of many low conversations filled the the old English theater with it's half-round stage and worn seats. The tall curtains were pulled back to show a polished wooden podium with a single microphone to one side of the old movie screen. The podium was bathed in a small pool of light. The conversations died down as a William Smith came out on stage to stand behind the podium.

"Greetings, everyone," William said, which caused the audience to fall silent. Opening his notebook, he took a deep breath and addressed the audience.

"I am sure everyone is eager to know what we have discovered in the south of Japan. Myself and Sir John Smith have spent months living and working around monsters that frankly, are not at all what we expected to find. When we left on our journey, we were under the impression that Dracula-type vampires hungry for human blood and looking to spread evil and chaos were infecting the area. Needless to say, what we found was shockingly different than our expectations. First slide, please."

The movie screen lit up to show a picture of Tsukune and pink haired Moka smiling and holding hands, wearing their Witch Hill school uniforms. Behind them was the main entrance to the school.

"Here are your vampires. Tsukune and Moka Aono, both senior high school students when this picture was taken. Behind them is their school. Witch Hill academy is in fact run by a real witch named Ruby Kurama. As you can see, I took this picture in broad daylight. It was lunch time and thankfully, the rest of their friends had not figured out where they had gone off to, so I was able to get a good shot of them without the surrounding gaggle. They did not come from the bowels of any dilapidated castle thought to be long vacated. Tsukune's parents live in the nearby city. Moka's family do mostly live a secluded, unknown place, though her mother has come to visit them on occasions. That is another totally new concept, vampires with family ties. Both are quite personable and from everything we have found, have decent moral values. They do need human blood to survive. However, we have found that even when they do 'drink live', as they put it, they never drain a person to weakness. The donors, which they call, 'Tsukune's harem', are also very eager to let Tsukune sip from them. Some even fight over who gets to feed Tsukune. Moka drinks strictly from Tsukune, and she controls very tightly, who is allowed to feed her mate. Next slide. Please."

This picture showed a smiling Kurumu holding a pink haired baby and a baby having blue hair in her arms.

"This is Tsukune's other mate. Her name is Kurumu Aono. In her arms are Akemi, the pink haired baby who is Moka's child, and Kumiko, which is her own. Kurumu is a succubus. A life stealing, soul eating demon, much like we envision some wives, but again, Kurumu is a student and although she can be, shall we say mischievous, she does not fit the mold that we have come to expect from monsters of her type. Kurumu is a dedicated mother and mate. Which brings us to another succubus we have come to know. Next slide please."

A picture of Ageha and Sir John sitting on a park bench came up. Ageha is pointing of at something off to the side as Sir John looks on.

"I am sure you all recognize Sir John Smith. Beside him is Kurumu's mother, Ageha Kurono. At least, that was still her name when I left Japan. What I personally found intriguing about this woman, was how human she seemed during her time convalescing in our flat. Ageha is a master at manipulating people if she chooses to. Investigating her activities, I found the ones she manipulated were themselves, manipulators of some type, mostly businessmen. A bit of irony there, I think. How she came to be in our care was after a confrontation with the fellow we all know as Apollo. Apparently, she was well aware of Apollo's eviction notice to the Aono's, and other monsters on Witch Hill. She came to persuade him otherwise, and the resulting scuffle left her badly injured. Next slide please."

The picture showed Toshio Yanaka behind the counter of his flower shop.

"This is Toshio Yanaka, a long time resident of the city in his flower shop that he has been running for a little over twenty years. Toshio is a member of good standing in his community, as is known for the beautiful flowers he grows. Next slide."

This picture showed a lake shore. In the water, the head of a very large iguana was poking up.

"This is another picture of Toshio, taking a swim. We found many monsters are able to disguise themselves as human, and are often respected by those who have no idea what their neighbors truly look like when they relax at home. We found many examples of this. So many, that I must wonder if in fact if the Loch Ness monster spends tea time with the very people who are looking for him. I imagine that gives him a bit of a smirk. Next slide please."

A picture came up of white haired Moka standing with her arms crossed outside the back entrance of a mall with police in riot gear nearby.

"This is Moka Aono during her retrieval of Tsukune, when he was abducted by some locals. I have the full news footage for your review later on. Besides great strength, she can be very imposing and as you can see, her looks change when she is irate. One thing we were taught by everyone, was you tick off Moka at your own peril. Next slide, please."

The picture showed an aerial shot of a large sunflower field. In the field pockmarked by what looked to be meteor craters, a gargoyle was in mid-air with his wings crushed to his sides.

"This is a still from another newscast I brought back with me. The thing you see in the air is Apollo in his most dangerous form. The dark spot between the two closest craters is Tsukune Aono. Those craters you see are from Tsukune lifting Apollo high in the air to dash him into the ground. I have yet to discover how he did it, but Mr. Aono trounced Apollo rather completely when Apollo attempted to chase the monsters off Witch Hill. You cannot see from this photo, but Tsukune's appearance did change during this time. Once Tsukune decided to stop making large holes in the ground with Apollo, he tore him to pieces a few times. Apollo showed he could regenerate quickly, and Tsukune proved he could rip him apart even faster. Next slide please."

A line of mug shots of Suki and her gang came up.

"Now, here are the people who kidnapped Tsukune at an earlier time. Every one is human, and none of them look too worse for the wear after their experience. Original slide, please."

The picture of Tsukune and Moka reappeared.

"So here we have two vampires of incredible power. I have to ask myself, if these two are capable of great destruction as well as defeating one who we had thought was unbeatable, why were those humans who kidnapped Tsukune showing only some sad looks and minor bruising? Either of these vampires have the capability to crush them all into an unrecognizable mess. The only answer I have, is the same one I received from Mrs. Kurama, the Witch who runs Witch Hill academy. Tsukune and Moka do not like to see people hurt. They promote peace. They are not denizens of dark nights, crawling about to kill innocent victims. If anything, they would stand by innocents to keep them from becoming victims. I cannot say how this strain of vampire came about, but I will say I am glad for it. I do believe an anthropologist would find a gold mine of information if he were to study how this evolution came about. Light please."

The lights came back on. William said, "We found a few other oddities I believe are worth mentioning. The Witch Hill school is not just for monsters. Many human students also go there. When Apollo made it clear he was going to forcefully evict all monsters from Witch Hill, one would think that in the face of a looming monster battle of epic proportions, that any humans would flee for their lives. Quite the opposite. The human students stood beside their monster classmates to face the threat. During that fight, one monster boy gave his life to save the life of a human girl. Which brings another curious point. There are numerous mixed couples, monsters and humans living together. Mr. Yanaka's wife is human, as is Tsukune's mother who I met, which means at some point, he may have well been human also. Sir John may marry Miss Kurono, they are getting along rather famously."

William let his words sink in for a moment, then asked, "So what do we do about this 'monster lair'? Myself and Sir John were to bring back our recommendations. Our recommendation is ... we do nothing. If this body is compelled to do anything, I would highly suggest we support the Aonos. Although you may be thinking that their behavior is some kind of trick to lull us into inaction, I can assure you that is not the case. They are far too honest in their dealings. They police their own ranks and have a good relationship with those around them. My first meeting with Moka Aono was at a bus stop with her mother-in-law. When I suggested fearing being attacked by monsters, especially vampires, Moka became highly offended. Only then were we properly introduced, and I learned who she was. Questions please?"

An older man stood up. "Where is Sir John? I would like to hear from him. With what you've told us, I would also like some assurance he is alive."

"Sir John had a city council meeting to attend. Tsukune was in a pinch and asked him to be their representative for Witch Hill. During the break in sessions, Sir John will be returning to England. He also asked me to feel out what kind of reception Miss Kurono will have for their planned holiday."

A younger man stood up. "From what your telling us, we could have monsters right here in England."

"Correct. You could be living next to one. Someone in this room may even be one. The Aono's point, and mine also, is even if that is true, so what? If a person is a law abiding and contributing member to society, does it matter what they are?"

"Will we get a chance to meet this succubus girlfriend of Sir John?"

"If he believes she will be safe on our company, I imagine so."

William waited for another moment, then said, "If there are no more questions, I will show the full news broadcasts. Broadcast in Japanese, they are subtitled for your convenience. After the films, copies of our full report await you in the back of the theater."

Another man stood up and said, "From what you say, there is no trouble that this Tsukune Aono can't handle."

.

The darkly stained oak door with fine engraving letters filled with gold leaf that bore Yukari's name just below the engraved pentagram, cracked open. Peeking out of her very own magic room inside the Aono manor, Yukari made sure the coast was clear. She had looked at every possibility, every little detail of what could go wrong. Every angle of how Tsukune and Moka could possibly avoid her magic. Yukari had grown up the last year, shooting up almost to Moka's height. Her breasts although not impressive, were at least now swelled out enough where she had to wear a bra. She shuddered in a happy thought that they were the perfect size to fit into Moka's or Tsukune's mouth.

Yukari had decided on a simple, and not very potent potion. Well, not potent in the sense of it's strength while it was in the small jar she held. However, delivered to the bath water when Tsukune and Moka shared a bath as they often did, the potion would do it's job. The best part about this was that Yukari didn't even need to make anyone drink it, or administer the potion directly to the water.

Going down to the bath, Yukari knocked. No answer. She peered in, then went straight to the shelf with the bath herbs. No one used these herbs except Tsukune and Moka.

Giggling with glee, Yukari poured the potion into the herbs, then cast a spell to dry the mix. Now, when Moka applied the herbs to the bath, the potion would rehydrate, and fill the entire bath. Her future lovers would bathe in it, the potion soaking into their skin with no one being the wiser. Only after she heard loving sounds from the bath, would she go in and be readily accepted by them. Upon seeing her, they would both be filled with lust for her cute little body. They would forcefully invite her into their bath and wash her carefully before ravaging her.

This was the moment Yukari lived for! To be leaning back against Moka's soft body, sharing long kisses with her as Moka played with her nipples and Tsukune opened her legs and drove himself deep inside her.

Snapping out of her daydream, Yukari's face felt hot as she carefully set the herbs back on the shelf and snuck out. On the way back to her magic room, she couldn't stop herself from giggling as she hugged herself. This was going to be so great!

.

Finally having his cast off, Ren met Mizore at the fountain in front of the high school on Witch Hill. Sitting an arm's length from each other with their arms crossed over their chests, they both looked at the ground. Behind them, two new buildings had gone up this summer. To the left was the new college, Witch-U, that taught witchcraft. On the right was the prep school and when it became accredited, a first year college.

Casting his blank stare at Mizore, Ren said, "I need an answer. I love you Mizore, I would do almost anything for you. I won't be a secondary lover. If staying with Tsukune instead of me is what you really want..."

"That's not it." Mizore said in her dull tone. She then let out a sad sniff. "I love you Ren, I do. I also love Tsukune." Turning her tortured face to Ren, she said, "I think I get it, why Tsukune had such trouble picking his girlfriend. He does love all of us. The last thing he wants is to see any of us sad. That is how I feel now. I don't want to loose Tsukune, and I don't want to loose you. I don't know what to do."

"Tsukune already has two wives," Ren stated.

"Doesn't matter. This is how I feel."

Ren frowned and looked away. He was angry at Mizore, but he was also trying to see her side of things. "Women are frustrating," he mussed.

"I am very frustrated," Mizore admitted. "Why can't you share me with him? Kurumu and Moka share Tsukune."

Ren kept quiet. He didn't want to make demands that might push Mizore away. He also wanted Mizore to see that he was the one who truly wanted to be with her. He was afraid if he told her that, they would argue, and Mizore would not want to be around him any more.

"Ren, you are sticking yourself to the fountain."

Ren looked down. Thick frost had grown around him. He tried to move, but his pants held him in place. "Darn," he noted in a dull tone.

Mizore got up. Forming a hand into an ice blade, she chipped Ren free and helped him up. Looking at him, Mizore spoke her thoughts. "Ren, you need me. I know that. I need you too. I also cannot leave Tsukune. I have to choose, but ... I can't!"

Ren thought hard. Speaking his thoughts, he said, "Then left us choose for you. Mizore, I want to marry you and be the best husband and father I can possibly be. Go talk to Tsukune. See if he is willing to do the same. If not, then your choice will be clear. I will be your husband."

Mizore blushed and looked away. "And if he says no, then he will be lost to me."

"Not true. You have a job as the head of his household staff. You will always be close friends. You will loose nothing but your life's path will finally be clear," Ren explained.

Mizore eyed Ren sadly, "And if he says yes, will you go away on me?"

Ren shook his head. "I will never leave you."

Mizore stared at him for a moment, then hugged him. "I'll do it," she said firmly.

"Do it now while you are committed," Ren said.

Mizore stepped back and nodded. "Um," she agreed, and strode off.

.

Mizore walked up the road to Tsukune's new manor. The gothic style house was impressive. Nearly the size of one of the dorms, the three story stone walls bore black framed windows. Off the back of the house was a large semi-circular terrace that contained a swimming pool. Above that coming off the second floor was a smaller terrace connecting to a dinning room inside. Walking around the courtyard walls in the front , Mizore went in the main entrance bracketed by columns that had a wrought iron arch overhead that had 'Aono' spelled out in twisted iron bars.

Inside, Mizore walked through the grand entryway. Most of the first floor were rooms for entertaining guests and the library. Stepping onto the long curved stairway, the stone step under her began to move. The stairs went up like a store escalator, but in this case, the top step disappeared, then reappeared at the bottom through magic.

Coming to the second floor landing, Mizore stepped off the magical escalator and onto the family floor. Her room was up on the third floor with the other servants. That was fine, though, her room was directly above Tsukune's room, and the rope she had was just long enough to let her hang just above his window so she didn't miss much.

Suki, dressed in her black and white maid's uniform came out of the kitchenette, pushing a cart. Seeing Mizore in her normal loose sweater and skirt with the belt around her thigh, Suki frowned at her. "Mizore, get dressed, we're getting ready to serve dinner," she said firmly.

"Where is Tsukune?" Mizore asked.

Suki rattled off, "Tsukune and Moka are in the bath, Kurumu is in the nursery with the babies, Yukari is in her magic room, and everyone else is doing their job," she said in a unhappy tone.

"Um," Mizore said with a nod, and headed for the bath.

Going into the changing room, Mizore saw Yukari with her ear pressed up against the door to the bath. Wearing only a towel, Yukari gripped her towel tight as she listened, waiting for the perfect moment to burst in on them, and let the potion do it's work and see the intruder as someone they loved and lusted after.

MIzore saw that Yukari was apparently spying on Tsukune and Moka. "My job," she said.

Startled, Yukari spun to face her. "Wha... what are you..." Yukari stuttered as she gapped at Mizore.

Mizore touched Yukari and froze her. As Yukari thumped to the floor encased in ice, Mizore opened the door to get an answer from Tsukune.


	2. Chapter 2

Capu 4 CH 2 : Oh, Baby!

"Yes, Sir Winston, I am perfectly all right," John said into the phone as he sat on the couch with Ageha snuggled up next to him. "No one cohersing, threatening, nor forcing me to do anything. ... Yes, Lord Aono asked me to be his representative on the city council until he can find someone else to do the job. ... Understand, Sir Winston, they are still in school. Lord Aono and Lady Moka are going to college, as is Mr. Shibayaku and Miss Aono. Everyone else that Lord Aono feels he can trust are otherwise engaged. ... That is correct, next month is a break in the council sessions, I will arrive with Miss Kurono. Liverpool is one of our stops on our way to London. We will come visit then. ... A small tour of England before we return. See the sights, share some fish and chips, that sort of thing. ... Right-o, we will see you then. Cheers."

Tracing a finger along his arm, Ageha asked, "Troubles, dear?" Somehow, she was gaining an English accent that matched John's.

"No worries, love. Sir Winston is only concerned for my safety." Pulling Ageha close, John gave her a heart felt kiss on her forehead. Frowning, he said, "Rotten shame I can't kiss you on the lips."

"It is," Ageha agreed with a sigh. "I just can't trust myself," she added with a wince.

"Well then, what do you say to joining me in the kitchen for a lesson in making a teriyaki steak diner with all the trimmings before we wander off to discover other places I can kiss?"

"Sounds wonderful," Ageha said, beaming her Destined One a smile. She let him get up first, then accepted his hand to help her to her feet. It wasn't that she could not get up on her own. This was one of the many small gentlemanly things he insisted on doing for her, and she was loving every second of it. The only thing she wished for was some kind of lip-condom so she could safely kiss this wonderful man as she so badly wanted to.

.

Kurumu winced as Akemi's tiny fangs moved in the flesh of her nipple. Even with the prickles she knew was coming every time she nursed Akemi, Kurumu found she loved nursing their children. Sitting in a chair topless as she held the babies to her breasts, Kurumu relished the moment. She saw Akemi as her child just as much as she did Kumiko. Although Tsukune and some of the servants told her a nurse could take care of them, Kurumu insisted on caring for their children herself. As a child, Kurumu remembered well the servants that took care of her. Her mother had been in and out. Spending time with her own mother was rare. Kurumu swore these children were not going to go through that. Kumiko and Akemi would not be pushed onto the help. Be it feeding time, play time, taking their first steps, or coming home with exciting news of the day, their mothers would be there for them. They would know they were loved.

"Kurumu, dinner will be ready soon," Minori called in through the door.

"Thank you, Minori," Kurumu called back. Kurumu sat up and spread her wings. Through practiced motions, she flipped her sweater over her shoulders and got the pullover over her head with her wings. While her arms held the babies, she wiggled her wings under the back, and got her sweater part way on.

Kumiko was done first. Kurumu shifted her hold and got Kumiko onto her shoulder one handed as Ameki continued to nurse. Once Kumiko let out a satisfied burp, Kurumu put her down in her bassinet. Akemi finished soon after. Once the pink haired baby was burped, Kurumu transferred the babies to the carriage and got her sweater on properly.

.

Tsukune sat on a stool, carefully washing Moka's front as she leaned back against him. Moka's eyes were closed, her head laying on his shoulder as she enjoyed the attention. The herbs Tsukune put in the wash water was a special blend he had gotten today to add a nice lilac aroma to the water. The added scent was as pleasant as the feel of her husbands gentle hands over her. Upon hearing a thump from the dressing room and the door coming open, Moka looked to see Mizore stride in.

"MIZORE!" Moka cried as she backed against Tsukune and covered herself. She fell off her stool, gaping at their friend.

"Hey, we're naked in here!" Tsukune cried as he gapped at her.

"Tsukune, we need to talk," Mizore stated.

"Can't it wait?" Moka asked, shocked at the intrusion.

Feeling it had to be something of vital importance for her to interrupt their bath, Tsukune said, "I'll be right out, OK?"

"Um," Mizore said, and left.

.

Tsukune was not happy to find Yukari frozen stiff in the changing room. Quickly dressing, he went out to meet Mizore as Moka dragged Yukari into the bath to thaw her out.

Going out onto the hallway, Tsukune found Mizore leaning against the wall, staring at the floor. He took the same pose beside her. "What is it?" he asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Confused," Mizore said in her flat tone.

"About?" Tsukune coaxed.

Shifting her stare to him, Mizore said, "I love Ren. I love you. I don't want to loose either of you."

Although her dilemma seemed to be trivial, Tsukune could see that she was deeply upset. He also figured there was something else here she wasn't saying. "Why would you?" he asked. Mizore just stared at him, so he asked, "Did Ren say you had to choose?"

"Um. He wants me to marry him."

"That's great, isn't it?" Tsukune asked. Ren and Mizore were like a pair of chopsticks, they seemed perfect for each other.

"If I do, then I can no longer have you," Mizore stated.

Tsukune stared back at her. Forming his thoughts, he said, "That is what marriage is. You decide on your mate."

"Then you will be lost to me," Mizore said sadly.

"Mizore..." he began, then stopped, not sure how he wanted to tell her they would never be together, at least not like that. "You do love him, right?"

"Um. I love you too, very much so. Please choose for me."

Wiping a hand over his face, Tsukune knew there was something deeper going on here. He asked, "What are you really afraid of?"

Flushing, Mizore said, "I like when I feed you. I like being here, helping you. Being around you. Watching you. I don't want that to end."

"Why would it? Mizore, you are more than welcome here any time. You know Ren is also. I am not going to kick you out of your job just because you want to marry him," Tsukune said patiently.

Mizore looked down and asked, "I can still be here if I marry Ren? You won't ... feel bad if he is my husband?"

Tsukune put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. Firmly, told her, "I will be happy for you. I do care for you, Mizore, very much so. I want you to have a happy life. I know you feel strongly about me, and I appreciate that. Moka and Kurumu already take up more time than I have. It would be unfair to you if I said otherwise, so please, if you feel just as strongly for Ren, go accept his proposal. He can give you the attention I cannot. Ren will always be welcome here in our home just as you are."

Mizore stared at him for a moment, then hugged him tight. "My special friend, Tsukune," she said with a sniff.

"My special friend, Mizore," Tsukune said softly as he petted her hair. "I will always wish you the best."

A shuddering voice came from the bath. "Where is ... she! I got ... a brass pan... AACHOO! Just for her! ... AACHOO!"

Letting himself smirk at Yukari's threat, Tsukune said, "Go to Ren. He really needs you."

Mizore released Tsukune. "Um," she agreed, and walked off.

Now that Mizore was taken care of, Tsukune went back in the bath to see Moka, who was now in a robe, sitting on the edge of the tub while she scooped bowls of warm water over a shivering Yukari in the bath. "Is she OK?"

Moka glanced at him and nodded. "We're going to need more bath herbs, I dumped the whole bunch in by accident when I got Yukari in," she said sadly.

Seeing Tsukune and her lovely Moka right here, Yukari's desire for them rose to new heights. She let her towel go to float away as she held her arms out to him. Gazing at the loves of her life, Yukari pleaded, "Tsukune! Please come warm me up with your passionate embrace. You too Moka! We can all bathe and rub each other down lovingly!"

Seeing Yukari naked and her hard little nipples poking out as if staring at him, Tsukune abruptly turned around. Moka dumped a bowl of water over her face.

"So that is why you were hanging around outside the bath, huh?" Moka asked, frowning at the little witch.

Spitting out water, Yukari blinked at Moka. "I just wanted to take a bath with you. The herbs are already in, see?" she begged, motioning to the green coated water.

Facing away from them, Tsukune asked in a tired voice, "What are we going to do with you?"

"Anything you want!" Yukari stated. "Just this once, please let's share a bath!"

Tsukune left. Moka handed Yukari the bowl and got up. Retrieving a dry towel, Moka said, "Please do not do that again. Come on, stand up."

Yukari let Moka help her out and wrap her on a towel. Moka left to get dressed. Sniffling at her perfect plan ruined, Yukari hugged herself in despair.

.

In the dinning room, the medium sized table circular table was set and a couple harem members stood by the silver carts of food, waiting to serve. At a conventional table, Tsukune would have sat at one end, with either Kurumu or Moka at the other end. No matter who was sitting at the other end he felt he would be placing one wife over the other. To avoid a possible conflict, he insisted on a table with no head for family dinning. The long formal table in the first floor dinning room was only used when they had guests, and the 'guest of honor' took the far end.

By now, Tsukune was also used to getting his evening 'nip' just before dinner. Again, to avoid any arguments he made sure he drank from a different girl every meal. Knowing it was her turn, Yuki eagerly bared her neck to him with a smile. As always, Tsukune was gentle when he sank his fangs in. Yuki sighed and held him tight as he sipped a mouthful of blood from her, then licked her neck clean.

"Thank you, Yuki," he said sincerely.

"You are quite welcome, M'Lord," she said, eyeing him with a sleepy smile.

Tsukune held Moka's chair, then Kurumu's as she came in with the baby carriage.

Yukari came in, her cheeks colored from her embarrassing failure.

"Where is Mizore?" Kurumu asked.

"Mizore is busy, she had to run an errand," Tsukune explained.

.

After dinner Moka and Kurumu took the babies out on the terrace. The house was blocking the late afternoon sun, so it was a perfect time to lay out a blanket and let the children have some fresh air.

"I really love this," Kurumu said as she sat cross-legged next to Moka. Casting Moka a satisfied smile, she said, "I hope you are not offended, but I love Akemi as if she was my very own. Do you feel the same way about Kumiko?"

"Actually, yes, I do," Moka said, and clasped Kurumu's hand. "It's like these are our children, both of us together." With a chuckle, she added, "No matter how old they get, they will each have two mothers to look after them."

The hand Kurumu held was the same one Moka had used to try and salvage some of the spilled herb supply as they had spread through the bathwater. The lingering potion on her hand was absorbed. The gentle spark of magic was amplified by Kurumu's natural succubus ability to charm. In short order, the intimate motherhood moment they shared was transformed. A different kind of intimacy glowed in their eyes.

"Moka," Kurumu whispered in a blush as she gazed into Moka's eyes.

"Kurumu," Moka replied just as softly, her own cheeks feeling hot.

"Moka," Kurumu asked, almost in a whine as she leaned closer.

"Kurumu," Moka breathed out in a heavy breath as she leaned towards Kurumu...

.

Tsukune was walked out onto the terrace looking at the paperwork Sir John had left for him. It was standard city-council stuff, what roads were going to be repaired, who applied for what building permit, and budget type things. Even though he had little or nothing to do with any of this, he still wanted to keep up with what was happening.

A motion to his left got his attention. Kumiko was near the decorative stone railing, and was crawling toward the edge. Right behind her was Akemi. Heart in his throat, Tsukune dropped the papers and raced over to scoop the babies up. "I don't think that is a good idea," he told the children who made baby noises and flailed their little arms.

Tsukune turned around to take them back to their blanket and confront whoever was suppose to be watching them. Seeing Moka and Kurumu, he almost dropped his children as his face dropped wide open.

Moka and Kurumu were involved in a deep kiss as they petted each other. Their hands were up each other's tops, kneading and caressing as they moaned in delight.

"Ahhh," Tsukune said weakly. He had always wanted Moka and Kurumu get along well, but he had never expected anything like this! "Ahhh," he said weakly a second time as he tried to collect a rational thought.

Turning her head towards him as Moka drifted to her neck, Kurumu opened her sleepy looking eyes to see him, then suddenly sat up wide eyed, which made Moka fall face first on the blanket. "Kumiko, Akemi!" she cried. Jumping up, Kurumu ran over to Tsukune. Seeing where he was and the fact he had the children, Kurumu cried, "Ohhh, I'm so sorry! How did this happen?"

Still unable to get his mouth to work, Tsukune handed Kumiko over to her. Moka had also realized what was going on and had shot up to race over to them. She apologized red-faced as she took Akiemi. "How... how did they get over HERE? I am so sorry!"

Tsukune finally got out, "Please, be careful." Despite the seriousness of the situation, he could not stop a very perverted scene from forming in his head that involved all three of them.

"How did she get so far so fast?" Kurumu asked, horrified at the thought of what may have happened if Tsukune hadn't come out when he did. It was a long way to the hard stone terrace below.

"I am so embarrassed," Moka said as tears came to her eyes. "If anything had happened, I could never forgive myself!"

"Me either," Kurumu said quietly. "Moka, I am so sorry for distracting you."

"I was distracting you, komenasai," Moka said weakly.

Tsukune shook his head to try and erase the image of Kurumu riding him as Moka lay beside him, cupping his head to suckle on her breast as the girls kissed ... "Ahh, I ... ahh, think we need to let one of the servants help watch the children," he finally got out.

Moka and Kurumu nodded weakly. Flushed with embarrassment, they took their babies back to the blanket.

.

A new term came into the Aono household. Babyproofing. The decorative stone uprights of the second floor terrace railing were evenly spaced, and were wide enough apart that a small child could go right between them. Tsukune had Yukari block the wide spaces by casting a wooden latticework from the floor of the terrace to the underside of the rail.

Tonight's job became inspecting every room on the family floor for anything a baby might grab / crawl through / get caught under / or get hurt by. While Minori and Yuki stood 'baby guard', everyone else searched for possible mischief the children could get into. One thing Tsukune noted (envisioning a baby happily crawling along and not caring where she went), was the escalator stairs. The open hallway ran right to them. A baby could go up, or tumble down the stairs with ease.

Yukari came up with a baby gate, more latticework that was high enough for a fully grown person to step over, but would stop an infant from getting to the stairs. The kitchenette had a door on it, so Tsukune ordered the door kept closed as all times to prevent infant mischief. The utility closet was also to be kept closed.

Satisfied that they had successfully made that part of the house safe, Tsukune headed for the hallway on the other side of the stairs. Coming to the landing, he was wondering if the banister along the open hallway that looked down onto the foyer below, should be fitted with lattice also.

Something caught Tsukune's foot, then his other foot as he struggled to maintain balance. With a yelp, he dove face first onto the floor. Right, he'd forgotten about the baby gate...


	3. Chapter 3

Capu4 CH 3 : **Brewing trouble**

HOW!

Yukari was beside herself as she watched Kurmu give Tsukune a long kiss goodbye, then turn and give Moka a luxurious kiss. How did Cow Titties get the benefit of that potion? Yukari had to accept that Cow Tits was Tsukune's wife, but WHY was she apparently affected by the potion? She wasn't even there! Listening to them last night was disgusting, the constant moans, yelps and lusty cries that came from Tsukune's room made Yukari want to scream in frustration. They even broke the bed, and then asked her to fix it!

"Should have been me," Yukari said with a sniff.

.

Kurumu leaped of the balcony and flew away this morning feeling very happy with her life. At first, Tsukune had been hesitant, but after she and Moka ganged up on him and stripped while they were kissing him, he began to relax. Upon each of them offering him a breast, he complied and suckled both their nipples at the same time. She wasn't sure what it was, but the shared moment of motherhood, the togetherness of accepting each other's babies as their own, somehow made Moka very special to her. Her heart had nearly burst when she kissed Moka that first time. It was a kiss of true acceptance, they were more than sister-wives. They could all be lovers together! The love she felt from both Tsukune and Moka filled her being. She alreday felt like singing. Today was going to be GREAT. Tsukune and Moka, both hers forever!

"Yaaa-hooooo," Kurumu sang to herself as she soared over Witch Hill and into the city.

Now that yokai were common knowledge, Kurumu no longer had to ride a bus or walk long distances. All she had to watch out for was aircraft. Off to her right, a traffic helicopter was traveling along over a highway, slowly closing on her. Kurumu made sure she stayed a safe distance from it. When the pilot saw her and waved, she waved back. Seeing her destination below, she banked away and dove toward the building at the end of the block that had a large symbol of her name painted on the flat roof.

To avoid disrupting street traffic, Kurumu landed on the roof. Going down the stairs, she came to the apartment turned music studio. "Hi guys!" she said with a hearty wave to the band members sitting around. They waved back, greeting her. All of them had done work with other bands but this was thier first shot with their own.

The manager was all smiles as he came over to her. "Mrs. Aono, there is some paperwork I need you to fill out. May I see you in the office for a moment?"

Kurumu noted a couple band members let out huffs. One rolled his eyes, another shook his head sadly. Kurumu followed the manager, curious about the band's reaction. The instant she went in and he shut the door behind them, she felt his lust rising.

"Mrs. Kurumu, there is a long standing ... shall we say, ritual? That singers must go through," the manager said with a predatory grin as he drank in her body with his eyes.

Kurumu eyed him, and the long couch. His lust was radiating off him heavily now. It wasn't the soft loving kind Tsukune and Moka radiated when she was bathed in theor attentions. This was puse, selfish lust. "You know I'm married," she said evenly.

"Just have a seat," he said in a voice that told of his confidence that she would do what he wanted. "Cooperate and I can guarantee you will become a star!"

Kurumu raised a hand and turned her palm so her fingers were pointing up. Her long nails shot out. "Come near me, and I guarantee you will never attempt this again," she warned.

The manager backed off. "Fine!" he snapped. "I guess we cannot do business. Good LUCK trying to find a singing job in this town!"

Kurumu cracked an evil grin. In a smooth tone, she said, "Oh, I think you will do exactly as I say." The air wavered as Kurumu cast her charm on him. "You worship me," she said.

The man's face became blank. He then cast her a loving gaze and said, "I ... worship you!"

"You will do everything in your power to make this band popular, and you will give me an offering to prove your loyalty to me," Kurumu intoned, and cast another charm on him.

"I will do anything for you, Mrs. Aono!" he cried, his face showing a fanatical glaze. "What can I offer you, my goddess!"

Kurumu's evil grin turned sadistic. The man was middle aged, so he had probably blackmailed many girls hoping to break into the entertainment business onto that couch to satisfy his lust. She had the perfect punishment for him.

.

Moka and Tsukune sat in the office at city college filing out their registration forms and schedules. While Moka was majoring in business, Tsukune was majoring in political science. They would be sharing a few classes together, but it wouldn't be like high school where they spent most of their day together.

"Tsukune, I have space for an eleven or twelve lunch break. What do you have?" Moka asked as she looked over at Tsukne's paperwork.

Looking at his options, Tsukune said, "I can have an eleven thirty or noon, so I guess it's noon then."

"Tukkie, Moka!" Kyoko said with a smile as she came from an office.

"Hi Kyo," they chorused. Moka added, "Are you going to school here too? We're having lunch at noon. Care to join us?"

"Sure. I'm taking the Education major," Kyoko said.

"Come on, let's make our lunch schedules together!" Moka said happily.

As they coordinated their schedules, Ichi came in. Unlike them, he was only here for the general studies portion. After lunch, he went to the temple for religious studies to become a full priest. He found space to have lunch with them before he headed off to the temple. As they talked about their schedules, a few more former classmates drifted in.

In the hallway, a pair of boys noted the group.

"They are all from that Witch School," one said unhappily

"Damn Yokai! They're everywhere," the other grumbled.

"Yeah, but what can we do?"

"Don't know, but we should do something."

.

In the small room lit by old incandescent bulbs with the rows of old school desks and a desk at the front of the room that looked older than even the building they were in, Ren and Mizore sat with a spattering of other students.

Their teacher came in, a man wearing a dark brown trench coat. Leaning on the desk to face them, he eyed his students, then said, "I am Mr. Han. So, you want to be private investigators, eh? Everyone close your eyes."

Once everyone did, he asked, "Who can tell me what is on the back wall?"

Ren and Mizore's hands went up. No others did.

"The purple haired girl."

Mizore rattled off, "Starting from the door, a copy of the private instigator license, two old badges, a picture of the city at night, a request for evidence form from the police department, filled out, one mug shot of you, an old notebook page showing several times and actions of a person named 'subject', three empty shell casings from a pistol along the shelf, a paperclip hung by a pin, an old photo of some woman wearing a suit jacket, and a line of seven police forms. I didn't notice what the forms are for."

"Outstanding!" Mr. Han said. "All right, everyone open your eyes. You must be Shirayuki Mizore."

"Um."

"The young man beside you is Yanagiya Ren," Mr. Han said, nodding to him. "You both attended Witch Hill Academy, and have experience in observing people. I think you will do fine as investigators. Do you plan to be partners?"

"We are partners," Ren said proudly.

"Um," Mizore agreed with a nod.

Mr. Han motioned to them and said, "The rest of you, note how observant they are. Seeing and interpreting what is around you is a vital skill you all must learn. There is another skill you must all learn well that Miss Shirayuki also seems to practice. THE number one rule in this business. Keep your mouth shut. Everything you learn about a client or subjects is confidential. You tell no one who does not need to know, or does not have a warrant..."

.

Without the manager around, Kurumu had a great time singing with the band. They practiced a few songs they band already knew, then worked on one the manager had in his office. The other one Kurumu found while routing around in there, she didn't like. She shredded it and left it on his desk. By early afternoon, the band members were getting tired and Kurumu's throat was dry. Stopping for lunch, Kurumu called home to check on the children, then dug in the manager's office again to find out he had her marked down to have the stage name of 'Mumu'.

"Makes me sound like a cow," Kurumu grumbled. She took the paper out and talked with the band to see if they could come up with a name for themselves. They pondered for a while, batting about ideas. None of them thought the manager's idea of 'Autumn leaves' for the band reflected their playing style. They pondered it the rest of the day as they worked at their new song.

As Kurumu was really getting into the lyrics and singing her heart out, her wings erupted from her back. The band fell dead silent. A dropped drumstick clattering on the floor was heard as the stopped playng.

"What's wrong?" Kurmu asked, looking at their gapping faces.

"You really ARE a yokai," the lead guitar said as he stared at her.

"Awesome!" the bass player yelled.

Another quick discussion named their band. The Flying Yokai.

.

Tsukune thought the had a handle on all of their problems. The baby gates, except for the occasional person tripping over them, were working well. Kurumu came home excited about the new name for their band, and made Tsukune and Moka promise to attend their first 'gig' down on the beach in support of a hotel's event. Mizore came home with Ren in tow to announce they were at the head of their class in the PI school. Tonight's dinner would be in the formal dinning room with Hosoi and Ruby, Sir John and Ageha, Akasha, and Issa with a discussion later on how they were doing.

Before dinner, Tsukune spend some time with the children. Every day, Kurumu went straight for the nursery upon coming home. Today all three of them sat on a blanket on the floor around the inquisitive babies.

Crawling toward Tsukune, Akemi tried to crawl up in his lap. Tsukune took her tiny hands. Akemi kept pushing up and stood. Wobbly, but she was on her feet. "Look!" Tsukune said happily as Akemi wobbled but stayed on her feet, holding a tight grip on his hands.

"Yay Akemi!" Moka and Kurumu chorused. Soon, Kumiko who was climbing up on Moka's knee, stood with Moka's help. "Yay Kumiko!" they cried.

Seeing Kumiko standing by her mother, Akemi turned and with Tsukune's help, wobble-walked over to Moka. Now gaining their feet, Akemi and Kumiko walked with parental support over to Kurumu, then back to Tsukune. They stumbled a few times, but got back up on their feet.

Tsukune was having the time of his life. Two fantastic wives, and his two cute children, all here, all sharing a precious family moment. It was one of those moments he wished would last forever.

"Lord Aono, there is someone to see you," Minori said from the doorway.

"Ruby?" Tsukune asked, thinking it was about the school.

"Some man, M'Lord. He wouldn't give his name."

Tsukune frowned and got up.

Moka's rosary spoke. "Something is not right. Take me with you."

.

Tsukune and white haired Moka descended the stairs to see a man waiting patiently in the foyer below. There was nothing extraordinary about his looks. He was a clean shaven Japanese man wearing a tan suit, standing with his hands folded in front of him. As Tsukune and Moka approached, he bowed deeply to them.

"Lord Aono, Lady Moka, thank you for seeing me," the man said in a formal tone.

Tsukune went to return the bow, but Moka's arm on his held him back. "What do you want?" she asked flatly.

"I was sent merely to deliver a request. Please do not shoot the messenger," he said with a slight grin. "Mr. Kayanaka would consider it an honor if you would meet with him."

"Who is Mr. Kayanaka?" Tuskune asked.

"My employer, M'Lord. I cannot say for certain, but I believe he has a business proposition for you," the man said.

Moka had been looking at the man as if studying him. Holding out her hand, she said, "Give me your gun."

Without hesitation, the man reached into his suit and pulled out a chrome plated semi-automatic pistol. He held it out to Moka by the barrel.

Moka took the weapon. Eyeing it, she asked, "And what type of business requires this type of tool?"

"We have had trouble with very stiff competition of the violent type. That is for my personal protection. I am not a yokai," the man explained.

"You did not answer my question," Moka stated.

"Are you Yakuza?" Tsukune asked warily.

The man nodded. "Correct, M'Lord, but we do not believe in violence unless there is no other alternative," he said.

Angry that the Yakuza would have the nerve to come to his house, Tsukune's face became dark. "Leave," he said heavily.

The man bowed and walked out the door.

Still holding the pistol, Moka watched him leave then barked, "Mizore!"

"Um?" Mizore replied from behind a column.

"Follow him. We need to know who and where his boss is."

"Um."

"Ren! Follow Mizore," Moka barked.

"UM!" Ren said as he jumped up on the stair railing by the second floor, and slide down to hit the floor in a run, heading after Mizore.

Tsukune looked at Moka and the gun. "For a Yakuza, he was very subdued. He didn't even threaten us."

"Tsukune, men like this Mr. Kayanaka do not start out with threats or violence. They want willing partners. He has sent us an invitation. Most likely, he will expect us to reject his invitation, then do as we have done, and send someone to find out who he is. How he reacts now will tell us if we are just a passing interest, or if he means to force us to become involved with him," Moka explained.

"How will we know?"

"That depends upon what Mizore finds, and if she comes back unmolested."

Tsukune's eyes widened. "If Mizore could be hurt, why send her?"

Moka frowned at Tsukune. "You need to study Sun Tzu, as soon as possible," she said in a dry tone.

.

Following the man in the tan suit was too easy, Mizore thought. He walked down the hill to get into a bright lime colored car that was impossible to miss. When the car left, it drove at or under the speed limit. Knowing where the road went, Mizore didn't try to follow the car around the curve of the hill, but went straight to the intersection. The car arrived, and turned to head into town.

Right after the car left the intersection, Ren appeared on his motorcycle. Looking up at the tree he figured Mizore would be spying from, he asked, "Ride?"

Mizore broke cover and shook her head. "Just follow." She then took off in a blur of motion.

.

The lime colored car that shown like a beacon in traffic stopped at a small restaurant in a seedy part of the city. Even a ways behind it, Ren couldn't help noticed where the car pulled off the street. He kept going, passing the parking lot just as the man was walking into the front of the building.

Ren thought hard. He knew Mizore was close by, but he didn't know where. He made a U-turn and went back down the street, parking across from the restaurant. He walked into the place, noting the tan suited man was talking to two others at a booth. He took a counter seat where he could watch them through the reflection of a stainless steel juice machine. He figured wherever Mizore was, she was someplace where she could see them. Ren then felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Please, come join us," a man behind him said.

Ren turned to see the man's dark suit was open just far enough to show the handle of a pistol. Ren got up and went to the table to sit beside the man in the tan suit. The man who'd come to get him sat in the next booth. Across from Ren were an older man, and a younger one who looked like he might be the older man's son. The eyed him with curious smirks.

The man on the inside dipped his head in a bow, and said, "I am Mr. Kayanaka, did you have any trouble following my messenger?

"Too easy," Ren replied.

Mr. Kayanaka grinned. "Some refreshment?"

"Um, uh," Ren said with a shake of his head.

Tapping the arm of the man beside him, Mr. Kayanaka said, "He is not big on words and his yokai energy is very low. I suspect that Lord Aono sent him to test our reaction." To Ren, he said, "You have nothing to fear, young man. We already know someone is watching you. Someone a bit more powerful I think, that would cause some damage if we were to do anything to you. If you would, please tell Lord Aono that I do wish to speak to him about a mutually beneficial arrangement. All above board, I assure you. I would do nothing that might jeopardize Lord Aono's good name."

"What is it?" Ren asked tonelessly.

"I am afraid that is between myself and Lord Aono," Mr. Kayanaka said as he watched Ren closely. "Come to this cafe once Lord Aono has a response for me, please. Are you sure you wouldn't like anything to eat or drink? My treat."

"Thank you, but no." Ren replied in his flat tone.

"And a very good servant you are," Mr. Kayanaka said approvingly. "Lord Aono apparently chooses his servants wisely." Waving a hand, he said, "We are about to have a meal young man. Stay and watch, or report back as you see fit."

Ren got up, gave Mr. Kayanaka a bow and walked out. Crossing the street, he got on his motorcycle and looked back at the restaurant. One of the men was lingering by the counter. If Ren could see him, then he could see Ren. Ren pulled out into traffic before Mizore could meet him. He went a few blocks down, then turned down another street to pull into a parking lot to park between a couple cars.

Ren pondered whether to try to find Mizore, which now could be hazardous to her since he'd been dumb enough to get caught, or just go back and tell Lady Moka he'd screwed up.

"Go home," came Mizore's whisper from under a car.

Quietly, Ren said, "I failed. I got caught, but I met the boss."

"You didn't fail. We know who he is now. Go home, they are watching you."

"See you there."

.

"Sir, if I may, why didn't you teach that boy a lesson in respect?" the man in the tan suit asked.

Mr. Kayanaka cast him a smirk and said, "You do not punish a dog while the master is watching. Especially if you want to have a good relationship with that master. This is not your average vampire we are dealing with. If the rumors are true, then Lord Aono is someone to be handled carefully. I want to undermine Shuzen's empire, not make an enemy that will side with him. That will be all this evening, thank you for your fine service."

Another man in a tan suit came in escorting the band manager. He sat the band manager down where Ren had been. Looking drawn and a bit pale, the band manager stared at the table.

Mr. Kayanaka frowned at him. "There is no need to bring your porno tapes here. Why have you come?"

The new man in a tan suit tossed a box on the table. "He doesn't have it, only this."

Mr. Kayanaka opened the box, pulled up a red cloth, winced, and shut it. "And who did that belong to?" he asked.

Weakly, the manager said, "It is ... mine. A show of loyalty to the lead singer in the band I was forming."

Letting out a snort, Mr. Kayanaka asked, "And who is this singer that demanded your severed penis as a tribute?"

"Her name is Aono Kurumu."

"I see," Mr. Kayanaka said slowly. "You know this breaks our agreement. You can't supply sex videos if you cannot have sex. You still owe me over two hundred thousand Yen. What do you plan to do about that?" He slid the box over to the sad looking manager.

"I will find a way to pay you, Mr. Kayanaka," he said weakly.

"I am sure you will," Mr. Kayanaka looked at the new tan suited man and touched his temple, the signal to kill the man and get rid of his body. "My associate will drive you home. I expect good news soon."

"Yes, Mr. Kayanaka," the manager said. He collected his box and left.

"Fool, he got what he deserved for not choosing his targets carefully," Mr. Kayanaka spat. To the younger man beside him, he said, "Find a new manager for Mrs. Aono's band, and make sure he is top notch. I will provide any financing needed."

"The music business is not very stable. There are safer things to invest in," the younger man replied.

Mr Kayanaka cracked a grin and said, "Over the short term, I agree. This is not a profit driven investment, but one of building friendships. We want to show the Aonos know we are generous to our friends. We very much want them as our allies. That is, unless you are willing to stand against the Shuzens by ourselves."


	4. Chapter 4

Capu 4 CH4 **Welcome back**

Ruby had been feeling odd the last couple days. She didn't feel sick, and she could find no intrusive magic, but something wasn't right. Tsukune and the Harlot Squad were doing fine, there were no problems at the schools, and Hosoi was as loving a Master as ever. Still, she felt there was something that needed attention.

On an impulse, Ruby decided to check on their friends in the world across the spirit plane. Upon her asking him, Hosoi followed her into her magic room while she opened a portal, searching for the Maple Inn family. She found them in a place that looked nothing like their home. Around a small table in what looked like an apartment, Kouta, Lucy, Yuka, Nana, and Mayu sat looking at their empty bowls.

Hosoi looked at Ruby. She nodded.

"Please excuse the intrusion," Hosoi said though the portal.

Nana's head snapped up as she beamed a smile in his direction. "Papa!" she cried happily.

"And now he shows up," Lucy grumbled, flicking her eyes in his direction.

"May I come in?" Hosoi asked.

"Please do," Kouta said as Nana jumped up and cried, "Come in, Papa!"

Hosoi stepped through the portal. The instant he was visible, Nana dove into his arms. Seeing the state they were in, he asked, "What happened?"

Lucy ignored him, Yuka gazed at nothing with a sad face. Kouta spoke up.

"We're being hounded. After Ruby-san's help getting rid of that island facility, it was quiet for a while. We rented a boat to go out to the island to help the freed diclonius, only the coast guard wouldn't let us get near. ..."

"They were bombing the island," Lucy spat. "The rest of out kind never had a chance."

"It's Nana's fault we lost our home, Papa," Nana said, teary eyed. "Nana got to go to school with Mayu, but they saw my horns."

"It's NOT your fault, Nana," Kouta said sternly. Visibly angry, he explained, "They came again. Lucy kept them out with Nana's help, but we had to flee. And we've been running ever since. Why can't they just leave us alone?"

Hosoi knew this family had only one option. "Come back with me," he said firmly. "The Aono's are in their own home now, we have plenty of room. Nana and Mayu can also go to school without fear."

"Can we?" Nana asked hopefully as she cast Kouta a pleading look.

Yuka winced, but gave Kouta a nod.

"That bully is gone, I hope," Lucy said heavily.

"Apollo will no longer give us any trouble," Hosoi assured her.

Looking at Kouta, Lucy said, "We won't be hounded, and if anyone does try to hurt us, we'll have help."

Kouta nodded firmly. "We accept your invitation."

"Yipeee!" Nana cried as she bounced in place. "We're going to live over the rainbow with Papa!"

.

Ruby discovered the Kikumura's were in worse shape than they had let on. They had run out of money trying to avoid those hunting them, and had eaten their last good meal over a week ago. Living off rice and what Lucy could swipe, the rent was also overdue on their latest apartment and their pictures were posted everywhere with large rewards to entice people to turn them in. They had been at the end of their rope.

Tonight, they were heading over to the Aono's for dinner. Ruby sent Mariko over ahead of them to let them know of the extra company and how starved they were. In the mean time, Ruby gave them healthy snacks and sat down with Kouta and Yuka to get Mayu and Nana's educational requirements. Finding out Lucy also had no education, Ruby set up a special class for her.

Hosoi assigned rooms, Kouta, Yuka and Lucy each had their own rooms. Mayu and Nana shared a room next to Mariko, and were happy to do so. After the new arrivals settled in with the meager possessions they had left, they went off to the Aono manor for a good, hearty meal.

.

"Lucy, Kouta, Yuka, welcome!" Moka chimed. She hugged each in turn, getting a dark look from Yuka when she hugged Kouta. Yuka's next jealous moment was when the busty Kurumu hugged Kouta tight. In retaliation, she gave Tsukune a tight hug with a, "I am SOOO happy to see you again!" Unfortunately, her effort was wasted. Moka was focused on Lucy, and Kurumu was guiding Kouta towards the dinning room.

Looking around the grand hallway, Kouta asked, "This is your house?"

"Yes, isn't it great?" Kurumu said, all smiles. "Tsukune is a vampire Lord now, so we live here. You're living in our old rooms at Ruby's right?"

"Ahh, yeah," Kouta said, itching the back of his head. They had escaped their perusers, but he didn't feel very proud how they had done it.

"Well, whoever has my old room, it would be perfect for you, Lucy and Yuka to snuggle in together," Kurumu said with a wink.

"Huh?" Kouta asked.

Returning his surprised look, Kurumu said, "You're all together, right? Don't tell me you don't ..."

"Excuse me," Yuka said pointedly as she rushed up between Kouta and Kurumu. Grabbing Kouta's arm, she cast a fake smile at Kurumu. "Thank you for inviting us over."

Walking behind Kurumu, Mizore pointed to Yuka and said, "Green eyed yokai."

"Um," Ren agreed.

.

Walking into the large dinning room as she hugged Kouta's arm, Yuka was wondering if they had jumped from the frying pan right into the fire. This house was grand, but with the candle lit chandeliers, sconces on the wall, and high back chairs, Yuka thought she was walking straight into a Dracula movie. Even the servants were dressed in mostly black and white trimmed uniforms that resembled a French Maid's outfits, only with long skirts. The babies being attended by servants at the moment were in full carriages like the old days, and their high chairs at the table had ornate sculptures on the wooden uprights.

"We would eat up in the family dinning room, but there's so many of us. This table will at least fit us all in," Moka said happily to someone as Yuka took in the scenery.

Noting servants (all female) pushing in three stainless steel carts, Yuka saw Mizore, who held the hand of her boyfriend, direct the servants where to position the carts. She wasn't sure about that one. Mizore had purple hair similar to Nana, but no horns.

"No formality, just pick a seat," Kurumu said happily, and sat down on one side of Tsukune by a high chair.

Yuka just followed Kouta. When he seated her, she unhappily noted she was on the other side of Akemi's high chair. She shrunk back as the baby noticed her.

The food was served. Despite Yuka's misgivings, the aromas of the food made her stomach growl, and there was plenty of it. Sitting between Mariko and Mayu, Nana cheered as a full plate was set in front of her. When her own plate was set down, full of steaming hot food, Yuka thanked the servant profusely. She hadn't eaten this good in weeks!

.

Tsukune looked at the scene before him. Hosoi and Ruby has rescued this wonderful family that had helped them when they needed it. Moka was feeding Akemi some mashed-up food and talking to Lucy who sat across the table by Kurumu. Mariko and Mayu were chattering away with Yukari while Nana was praising the cooks for the tasty food. It looked like everyone was having a nice time. It made him feel good.

As Tsukune ate and watched the chatter, he thought about how the Kikumura's came to be here. In their world, yokai were not only shunned, but attacked and from what he'd learned, experimented on cruelly when the humans could capture a live one. Nana and Mariko had only survived because Hosoi was their father. Lucy survived only due to her power and temperament. He didn't need to be told that neither of Lucy's parents were alive. At this table were the only survivors of an entire race. He swore that would not happen here – to any race. This gathering drove home the importance of peace and acceptance of all. He was the one who had to make it happen, and he would not back down from his responsibility.

Moka paused in her conversation to scoop up a spoonful of food and turned to an empty high chair. "Akemi?" she asked, and began looking around.

Yuka's eyes shot open. She dropped her fork and let out a yelp as she slid back. Attached to her ankle was Akemi. In her frantic motion, Yuka fell out of her chair.

"Akemi!" Moka cried and got down to gently pry her loose.

"Ahhh," Yuka cried weakly as she gapped at the child sucking on her ankle.

"Ankle biter, he he," Ren chuckled as he pointed.

Horrified that Akemi was snacking on a guest, Tsukune rushed over and helped get Akemi back in her chair, then noted Yuka's ankle was leaking a trickle of blood.

"I am so sorry, please forgive us!" Tsukune told Yuka. Kneeling down, he held the injured ankle and licked it to clean and seal her wounds.

Yuka's face flushed crimson.

"We are very, very sorry," Tsukune said again as he helped a befuddled Yuka up and back into her chair.

Akemi turned to Yuka and waved an arm as she whined.

"Akemi, no," Moka scolded, and tried to get her to eat.

Yuka sat feeling numb. She'd been shocked when she felt her ankle being bitten. Why was it that Akemi loved biting her? What flustered her even more was when Tsukune had licked her ankle. His tongue had sent a shiver up her leg. Not an unpleasant one, either. It had felt perverted, almost as if was a sexual thing. She wondered briefly if Kouta would lick her ankle like that.

"Yuka, everything will be all right," Kouta assured her.

His voice was enough to break her out of the spell Tsukune's tongue had put her in. Frowning at him, she asked quietly, "Well, you're not lunch, are you?"

.

The next day, Yuka felt a little better when Moka took her and Kouta down to the city college to get registered to get back in school. Neither of them had access to their transcripts from their old college, but somehow, Ruby came up with them. Oddly, their classes they had to abandon due to fleeing showed up completed on the transcripts. In another impossible act, even though the lady at registrations had never heard of the Kamakura college, she still allowed them full credits so they could continue their studies. After the college visit, Moka and Yuka drug Kouta off for a shopping trip.

.

Kurumu took the bus to town today, having Mariko, Mayu and Nana with her. By now, all the girls were calling her 'Ku-mama', which gave Kurumu a pleasant feeling. She took them shopping for clothes, then took them on to her band practice.

It irritated Kurumu that the manager hadn't shown up. Knowing he had an event for them planned, she called up the hotel and made sure the arrangements were set . Next, on a whim, she called the radio stations, offering them a copy of the their songs. When she told them who she was, they were happy to accept copies of the songs to play on the air. While the girls sat and watched, The Flying Yokai recorded the songs they knew. Once the recordings were done and copied, Kurumu asked the band members to take the copies to the radio stations.

The band members left to go on their errands. Kurumu took the girls downstairs to the small cafe.

"You sing really good, Ku-mama," Nana said happily. "Nana wishes she could sing like that."

"Practice, sweetie, you will," Kurumu assured her.

Going down the stairs and into the back door of the dinning room, Kurumu stopped short. The dinning room was empty of customers. A rough looking man stood by the door that now had the 'closed' sign up. The owner was sitting by his wife as they hugged in fear, another man stood over them. Two more men stood behind him. All the men were shaven bald and sported tattoos that showed all along both arms.

"Don't you know what will happen if you don't pay us?" the man over the owner asked harshly.

"We don't have it!" the woman cried.

"Bullies," Mariko stated as she frowned at the men.

All eyes turned to see Kurumu and the girls standing just inside the door.

"Get out if you know what's good for you," the man growled.

Mariko's eyes turned red. "Can I kill him, Ku-mama?" she asked.

Kurumu laid a hand on her shoulder, "Just wait sweetie, let me deal with them." Casting them her best smile she looked at the men surrounding the couple. "Maybe I can help you?" she asked, casting her charm over them.

"Yeah, baby," one said as they grew the blank smiles indicating her charm was working. Focusing on the man by the door, Kurumu said, "Come over here, sweetie," as she cast her charm on him. From all the love and lust she received from Tsukune and Moka, she had plenty of power.

"All of you fine, strong men, come over here," Kurumu said, walking toward the center of the dinning room. Like puppy dogs eager to obey their master, they did as she asked.

"Tell me, who sent you?" she asked sweetly.

"The boss, Mr. R." the leader said, gazing lovingly at her.

Shifting into a sexy pose, Kurumu gave them her best smile. "Do you boys really want to please me?" she asked in a lusty voice.

"OH YEAH!" they chimed.

Frowning at them and putting on her best hurt look, she said, "You boss was very mean to me He wanted to hurt me badly. Would you strong men please give your money to me, then go show him how bad he was?"

"We'll beat his ass to a pulp!" one man announced as he handed Kurumu a wad of cash.

"He's friggin DEAD!" another announced and gave Kurmu a thick money clip of bills.

"I'm gonna break every bone in his body!" the third promised as he handed over a thick envelope.

"Please, teach him not to threaten me," Kurumu asked and cast her charm a third time.

"He'll never bother you again!" the leader promised. "Come on, boys!" he announced. They strode out with the look of murder in their eyes.

Kurumu went over and shifted the sign on the door to open. To the couple that sat gapping at her, she said, "They won't be back. Could we have some snacks please?" She then gave the huge wad of money to the man.

"I can't take this money," the man said weakly.

"Oh nonsense," Kurumu said. "I'm buying lunch for us. The rest is a tip for you. You do accept tips, don't you?"

"Those thugs will kill us!" the woman cried.

"No, they won't," Kurumu assured her. "If anyone comes here to bother you, just tell them if they bother you, they will have to deal with Lord Aono."

"That vampire up on Witch Hill?" the woman asked.

"The same. I'm his wife, Kurumu," Kurumu said with a bow.

"What do you want from us?" the man asked.

Kurumu shrugged. Turning to the girls, she asked, "What do you want to eat?"


	5. Chapter 5

Capu4 CH 5. **sweet and sour**

Tsukune winced from a headache as he came around. This time, he had lost consciousness again when Lucy touched his head with one of her invisible arms, but his body had accepted this power a little easier. He also found that it was like drinking blood. Once he absorbed it, he could use it. Over time, the power had waned. Although his invisible arms were more powerful than Lucy's, they didn't last unless she kept refreshing that power. It had to have something to do with his vampire makeup.

Sitting up on the library couch, Tsukune noticed Lucy was watching him. He then noticed a pale, translucent, all but invisible arm stretching out from her, the hand open to grab him. He shot off the couch and rolled up onto his feet. Despite his fast move, she sent another straight at him. As he thought about stopping it, one just like it came from him to clasp the ghostly hand.

"Not bad," Lucy mussed. "Do you have that pistol you told me about?" she asked.

"Why?" Tsukune asked, confused.

"I want to shoot you," Lucy stated.

Tsukune cast her a wary look. "What did I do?" he asked.

"Fine, shoot me first. Watch how I stop the bullets. Then I will shoot you."

"You can stop bullets?" Tsukune asked, surprised at the news.

"Stop the smaller ones, deflect the larger ones. We came for mutual support. That will mean nothing if you cannot use or control of the power I share with you," Lucy stated.

.

In the courtyard of the manor, Tsukune was not feeling very comfortable aiming the chrome plated pistol at their guest. Lucy, who stood ten meters away, watched him calmly. He put the sights on her, then lost his nerve and lowered the pistol. "Are you sure I won't hurt you?" he asked.

Lucy cracked a crooked grin as she let out a sniff. "Pull the trigger."

Tsukune took aim again, aiming just to the side of Lucy. He shot. The handgun bucked in his hand as it barked. The bullet hung in the air close to where he'd aimed it, a couple feet to the side of Lucy. The bullet hung in the air by her. She reached up and picked it out of the air.

"Again. Watch me and this time, aim better," Lucy told him.

Tsukune did. This time, he saw what happened. Right as he shot, Lucy's invisible arms formed a shield in front of her. The bullet hit the shield and stopped. He fired again, this time directly at her as he watched closely. "I see!" he said excitedly.

"Good, now give me the gun. Your turn," Lucy replied.

.

Yuka talked with Moka as they rode in the cab back up to the manor. Yuka had taken the middle of the back seat to ensure she stayed between Kouta and Moka. Moka was friendly and kind, and far too pretty for Yuka to allow Kouta to get too close to her. Moka had helped them get registered for school and took them shopping for some essentials. Although Moka didn't have horns, she still had the natural pink hair that seemed to drive men crazy. Yuka already had one powerful rival for Kouta's affections, she didn't need two.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done for us," Yuka said sincerely. "There must be some way we can repay you."

"Don't worry about it," Moka insisted. "You are friends, friends help friends in need. I am glad you are out of that horrible place."

Seeing they were coming up to the manor, Yuka again had to wonder how much they really had gained coming to live in a place filled with monsters. She then heard the pop of a gun. "Is that.."

Before she could finish her question, Moka launched herself out the window. Yuka watched Moka run along side the cab for a brief moment, then she tore off and vaulted over the ten foot wall of the courtyard.

.

Remembering the Yakuza that had come to visit them earlier, Moka feared the worst as she ran for the house. Clearing the wall she saw a strange sight. Tsukune stood in the middle of the courtyard, Lucy stood a short distance away, aiming the gun they had taken from the Yakuza at him. She shot again as Moka landed. Heart in her throat, Moka raced over to grab the gun. Lucy stepped back, and Moka ricocheted off Lucy's invisible arms.

Recovering from the impact, Moka stood between them with her arms out. "Stop shooting at my husband!" she cried.

"Moka, it's OK," Tsukune said from behind her.

Moka turned to gape at him. "And how is trying to kill you OK?" she asked in a wail.

"I'm stopping the bullets, see?" Tsukune said as he held up a handful of used slugs. "Lucy was teaching me."

Turning back to eye Lucy angrily, Moka asked, "And what if he wasn't able to stop them?"

Lucy scowled at her and stated, "If I can, he can. You will too once I show you how."

Moka's rosary glowed and said, **"Yes, show me."**

.

Mizore and Ren were putting what they learned at PI school into practice. Being expert 'observers', they now kept notes on Mr. Kayanaka and his associates. Being caught once, Ren was careful not to get caught by them a second time.

While going to observe the small cafe where Mr. Kayanaka held his meetings, Ren was accosted by a ragged man in the alley.

Appearing out of a cardboard box, the man blocked Ren's way, holding his hand out. "Hey kid, you got some money? A few yen. Please?"

Ren looked at him. "You need money?" he asked in a flat tone.

"Yeah, anything you got. I'm desperate."

"Um. I'll pay you to watch some people for me. Can you do that?"

"Yeah sure, kid."

Ren checked his pockets. He pulled out a three five hundred yen coins and handed them over. "Come, I'll show you who to watch for me. The more you tell me about what they do, the more I'll pay."

"Yeah, yeah, OK," the man agreed.

Ren took the man to his watching point, a fire escape just inside the alley. From here, the interior of the cafe was visible through the front windows. He pointed out Mr. Kayanaka and the tan suited man, as well as the pair of darker suited men that were always nearby. "Tell me who comes and goes. I will give you a notebook and a pen so you can write it down," Ren told him.

"That's a lot of work," the man mussed. "Worth more than fifteen hundred yen."

"Um. Ten thousand Yen a day, so long as what you tell me is accurate," Ren said.

"OK, deal. So, who are you, kid? You working for another gang, the cops?" the man asked, watching him intently.

With a straight face, Ren said, "I work for Kaiser Soze."

.

White haired Moka was not happy, they'd ran out of bullets. She got to fire one at Lucy, then Lucy only fired two at her, and the gun was empty. She was hoping to practice more to see how far away she could stop them. Now that exercise was over, they went over other moves.

In the field by the manor, Moka and Lucy spared with their invisible arms. Moka noticed that while Lucy wasn't as fast as she was at moving, the woman had greater control over her invisible arms. She reaffirmed that the more Yokai power Moka radiated, the more Lucy absorbed, becoming stronger. While Lucy couldn't move her body to match Moka's speed, Lucy's arms were able to keep track of her and counter Moka's own attempts to try and hit her. Lucy was the first non-vampire that was a serious challenge for Moka.

After their practice bout, Moka asked Lucy if she wanted a job.

Still tense and red-eyed from the energy Moka had radiated, Lucy asked, "What kind of job?"

"We are going to need soldiers," Moka stated. "Tsukune believes in peace. Peace can only be archived if we are prepared to back it up with war. I know a little of your background. I can see in your eyes that you would make a good soldier of the kind we need."

Lucy glanced off at Ruby's house. "To help protect our families?" she asked.

"That's right."

Lucy shook her head and stated, "I won't be a soldier. Soldiers are dim witted robots who only follow orders," she said distastefully. "If you want me to help defend our home, I will do that anyway. I take it you want to be in charge of defending our home."

"I am in charge of defending our home. Just realize that to do so, we may need to teach someone their place before they step onto Witch Hill. I want to know if you can work with me when the need arises."

Lucy let out a snort. "That is not a job, that is only protecting what is ours. I am tired of hiding to keep my family safe, that is why we came. If you want to be in charge of organizing our efforts, fine. DO NOT let us down."

Moka grew a grin. Lucy was serious, dead serious. That meant Moka could count on her. "I have no intention to. Thank you for sparing with me," she said, and bowed to Lucy.

Lucy returned her bow. "I must be going back now. Call if you need me."

.

"Tsukune! They're playing it!" Kurumu yelled happily and turned the radio up. In her joy, she cranked the volume up too far.

Tsukune winced as Kurumu's song thundered through the family room.

_Yo-Kai Love!_

_It's what I feel, when your kisses takes my breath away_

_Yo-Kai love!_

_When you smile at me, and tell me every-thing's OK_

_When you're with me all alone_

_you fill my world up, my body and soul_

_My protector, my only desire,_

_You fill my heart up, you set me on fire, with_

_Yo-Kai love! _

"Turn that down, please!" Moka said, trying to out-shout the music as Akemi and Kumiko began to cry from the assault to their ears.

"Sorry!" Kurumu said, and did as Moka asked. "But, isn't it great?"

"It is, congratulations," Tsukune said.

"Yes, we are happy for you," Moka added. She would have been happier if Kurumu hadn't tried to break their ear drums.

Kurumu bounced over to Tsukune and gave him a hug. "And we even have a concert! We'll only be the opening act, but people will be coming to hear US!" she said, beaming him a smile.

Tsukune kissed her, not only happy because she had archived something for herself, but her accomplishment was sure to help yokai/human relations. "We will be there, front row," he promised.

Although Moka wasn't happy with the sudden blast of music, she did smile at their Kurumu's happiness. Kurumu bounced over and gave Moka a kiss. Kissing Kurumu was nice, as was the gentle caresses they shared. Moka felt her inner self let out a mental shudder.

_"What?"_ she thought to her inner self.

_**"Perverts!"**_ inner Moka shot back.

Smiling to herself as she propped up Kumiko in her lap, Moka thought, _"You have to admit, she is pretty and loyal. And this way, we get to sleep with Tsukune every night. That's nice, isn't it?"_

That put Inner Moka off on a rant. _"You should just break your fangs off and ... how can you call yourself a vampire? I thought you'd gotten that out of your system, but apparently not. The only reason I don't kill that stupid succubus, is that Tsukune would hate me for it. Thanks to your foolishness, I can't even ... Ugh! Just remember that I'm here too! __**AND STOP THINKING ABOUT KISSING HER!"**_

Moka chuckled at her inner self.

_"It's not funny! Next time the seal comes off, I just might destroy it! You get to stay out, playing ... the pervert, and I have to endure it. Is it YOU who spends most of her time locked up, forced to just watch when you ... There's __**NAMES**__ for what you're doing. You know that, don't you? I __**DO NOT**__ wish to be associated with that name!"_

Moka blinked. Her inner self was really angry at them. _"I'm sorry,"_ she thought automatically. To her mind, what they did in their bedroom was nobody else's business. It was hurting her inner self's pride, and it was her business also. By the intensity of her inner self's rant, was it possible she might be a little jealous also?

_**"I'm going to sleep!"**_ the thought blasted out in Moka's head so loud, she thought she heard it out loud.

Scooping up Akemi before she wandered too far away, Kurumu looked quizzically at Moka. Seeing Moka's blank face, she sat down by her and asked, "Something wrong?"

Thinking to please her inner self to calm her down, Moka asked, "What's the weather like tonight?"

_"_The weather?" Kurumu asked, looking confused.

"I think my inner self hasn't spent enough quality time with Tsukune," Moka explained.

"Thunderstorm," Kurumu said with a nod. "I'll ask Yukari to cook one up tonight."

.

Lin Kwan thought the search was useless. For years now, Master had ordered her to keep looking for information on this 'harbringer', Apollo. Centuries ago, Apollo had all but completely destroyed her Master. Left battered to the point of death, Master had survived, but all of her minions lay dead, and the empire she'd built was in ruins. Master swore to make Apollo pay for that defeat.

Many times, Master would throw fits and beat Lin for not finding anything they could use to get revenge. Lin knew where Apollo's castle was, and could name every servant there, even the gardeners and their families. It wasn't enough. Apollo himself was untouchable. Even though Lin had found the place he hibernated deep within the castle, it wasn't enough. Master didn't just want to attack things that could be replaced. She wanted to destroy the irreplaceable. Find Apollo's family, his living relatives and make them suffer in agony for a long time before choosing one to make them watch the others die painful deaths.

"SLAVE!" came a bark that made Lin jump. She tipped over her scrying bowl in her start, spilling water over her latest notes. Collecting herself together, she carefully righted the empty bowl with her fingers that sported black lacquered nails. She made sure her black dress was not wet, then hurried to her Master's chamber, her long black hair flying behind her.

Upon entering her Master's throne room, Lin dropped to sit on her heels, bent over so her head touched the floor, arms out. "Yes, Master?" she asked in a properly subdued voice.

"What else have you found about Apollo?" her Master asked harshly.

In her soft voice, Lin said, "He has risen. I located him near a city in Japan. He was fighting other Yokai there. After the fight, he went into the city and was held in a prison briefly ..." Lin's words were turned into a scream as a whip lashed her back, ripping her dress open as well as her skin. She recoiled, rolling over on her stinging back.

"DO NOT LIE TO ME!" her Master roared.

"I'm not lying, Master," Lin cried through her pain. "He lost the fight..."

The whip struck again down her front, again tearing her dress open, and her skin from belly button to the middle of her chest. Lin wailed out in agony and curled up.

"Do you really wish to die that badly?" her Master asked in a smooth tone. "Lie again, and you will get to choose which leg I take from your worthless carcass!"

"I'm not lying!" Lin wailed. "A vampire beat him, one like I'd never seen before!"

"And who is this super-vampire?" her Master snapped.

Pain wracked, Lin gasped her words out. "I ... don't know ... I was watching..."

"FOOL!" The whip came again, striking the base of her right buttock. Lin screamed and thrashed from the impact.

"Someone beat Apollo, and you didn't think that was important enough to TELL ME?" her Master screeched. "Why do I bother with you? Tell me why your family is still alive when you refuse to do my bidding."

"I'm sorry, Master! I thought you only wanted to know about Apollo!" Lin wailed.

In a hard tone, the Master said, "Go heal yourself, then find out who this vampire is. If I do not know his name and location by sundown, you get to watch your younger sister be whipped to death! GO!"

Lin crawled out of her Master's chambers sobbing and leaving a smeared blood trail in her wake. She was too slow, for someone kicked her hard on the hip, tossing her out into the hallway. She hit the far wall, her ruined dress lay more around her than on her. The door was shut behind her. Even though she could barely think, Lin forced herself to chant healing spells to seal her wounds. If she didn't obey, her sister would die. Squeezing her eyes shut against that threat didn't help. It only brought back the image of her little brother, who died by the whip after hours of torture. Master had only taken his head after she could not revive him to consciousness one more time.

Lin had no time to wallow in agony. She had failed her Master once. She could not fail again. Once her wounds were sealed, she tried to get up, and stumbled back to the floor. The wounds were closed, but the pain persisted. She crawled for her magic room.

A hand grabbed her hair and pulled her up to stand. Another hand reached around and roughly grabbed a breast to squeeze it hard enough that her flesh bulged out from between the large fingers. In her ear, a gravelly voice she knew all too well said, "I get to play with you after Master is finished with you."

It was the same old scene every time the orc guard saw her. Lin stared at nothing as he fondled her roughly. "Use me and kill me," she said tonelessly, hoping he would do so.

"Be lucky Master has use for you," he growled, and tossed her to the floor.

Lin got back up on her hands and knees, and continued on to her room. Once inside she collapsed to rest and regain some strength, just for a moment. She had a scrying bowl to refill, and magic to perform. She could not fail.

.

Yukari had her energy out, looking for a cloud large enough to turn into a thunderstorm. After Cow Tits asked for the storm, Yukari went to Tsukune to be sure it was what HE wanted. He told her to go ahead, it was for Moka. Since it was for Moka, Yukari decided to try her best.

That was when she felt the scry. It wasn't a portal, the energy was too weak. If she hadn't had her own energy out, she would have missed it. It was just someone peeking in on them. Angry at the intrusion, Yukari summoned up a quick and easy spell, the pointing finger. She pointed her magical finger right through the scrying energy. The scry collapsed.

.

In her magic room, Lin lay holding her eye and crying. A trickle of blood seeped down her face. Suddenly, Lin became afraid. The other witch sensed the scry. Normally her scrys went unnoticed. It had to be a powerful Witch to sense such a small bit of energy. If she tried again, and she wasn't poked in the eye, then whoever that was may find her and ruin her chances of saving her sister. She healed herself and thought hard.

Preparing another spell, Lin didn't use the full scry spell. This time she only went for the sound. If nothing else, she hoped to avoid a counter-strike. Any sound powerful enough to hurt her ears would do greater damage at the other end. Lin cast her spell and listened closely.

"Who was it?" a young man asked.

"I don't know! I doubt they'll do it again, I poked them in the eye," a young woman's voice said with a giggle.

"**Yukari, this is serious,"** a powerful female voice said. **"Put up protection. On your way out, send in one of the servants."**

Baby voices were heard. Another young woman said, "Come on girls, this way. Let's go show Daddy how well you can walk!"

"Suki, Moka wants to see you," the voice Lin identified as Yukari said.

"Akemi, NO! You can't go biting people!"

"That's OK, Mrs. Aono, she won't take much," another female voice said.

"No, she has to learn her manners," the woman Lin recognized as Mrs. Aono said.

"Ankle biter," a flat toned voice said.

"Oh stop it! She doesn't know any better."

"You wished to see me, M'lady?" the voice Lin recognized as Suki said.

**"Go over to..."**

The voices cut out. Lin hissed in irritation. Apparently, Yukari got her protection from scrying up. Lin could no longer get through unless she used a much more powerful spell, and had greater power than this Yukari. For how Yukari found her scry and acted so quickly, she didn't dare. She took what she'd heard to her Master. The strong voice was unmistakable, only vampires carried that commanding tone. Moka was the vampire, Yukari was her Witch, and the parents of little Akemi served the vampire Moka.

The sun was low in the sky, but at least now Lin had enough information to keep her sister alive.


	6. Chapter 6

Capu4 CH 6 **Know Your Place**

Moka went over to Ruby's house with the rosary in her pocket. On the way, she eyed the ocean. It would be so easy to give the rosary a fling far out into the water and be done with it. If she did that, then Tsukune would be very upset with her. Even though she refused to put it back on, she couldn't get rid of it without possibly ruining her marriage as well as putting her family at risk. Her mother had made the rosary to hide her and keep her safe. Moka felt she was strong enough to take care of any threats to her person, but she had to think of her family. It was irritating, but she had to keep the damn thing.

Besides the perverted antics of her other self, she was concerned with the scry Yukari had discovered. Someone was watching them, and it made her nervous not knowing who. She was sure it wasn't the Yakuza. From all the reports Mizore and Ren gave her, the Yakuza did indeed want to become friendly with them. Tsukune didn't meet with them, which Moka was glad for. The stronger never sought out the weaker. Let the weaker come to them and acknowledge who was in charge.

Walking up on Ruby's porch, Moka knocked on the door.

Moka could feel who was coming before the door opened. "Moka," Lucy said evenly. In her hand was a basket.

"Is Ruby available?"

Holding up the basket, Lucy said, "Ruby and Kurama are working in their school office. I was about to take them lunch." Tipping her head slightly, she asked, "Practice time?"

"No, I need to talk to Ruby."

"Let's go."

The two women walked down the path. The first part of the walk was silent, both were seriously minded, and didn't engage in small talk. It was only after a mental cry from her other self, begging to be let out so they could speak, did Moka give a shudder.

Lucy eyed her. "What was that?" she asked.

Frowning, Moka said, "Just an annoyance. Someone I'd like to get rid of, but I can't."

Lucy let out a snort and said, "I know exactly what you mean. It's frustrating having to deal with someone you'd just as soon rip apart."

Moka cracked a smirk. "I take it you have someone you'd like to see gone?" she asked.

"The idiot," Lucy stated. "I swear, whether Kouta likes her or not, if she hits him one more time, I'll rip that arm off."

"Yuka?"

"Yes. She's shallow, jealous, possessive, and she doesn't even need to be here," Lucy growled. "She'd be fine back in the human world, she belongs there."

Moka couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "And you put up with her because of Kouta. I'm forced to do the same with Tsukune. The things we endure for our men."

Lucy nodded. "Too bad Yuka can't go off to that college and meet someone else and stop hanging onto my Kouta."

"I'd recommend magic, but Ruby wouldn't manipulate someone like that and Yukari's magic has a tendency to backfire on her," Moka mussed.

It was Lucy's turn to let out a chuckle. "Moka, when you're like this, you make me angry at times just by being you. Even so, I can't help but to like you," she admitted.

"It's my yokai energy, you react to it," Moka explained. "Anger seems to be your strength. When I call up my yokai, you absorb it. Most people are filled with fear, you just get angry and stronger. That is why you feel what you do. And by the way, I like you also. You're not a scatter brained fool. You have substance to you."

"You have a good sense about yourself as well," Lucy said, acknowledging the compliment. "At times, I wonder if we are the only ones who see reason."

Moka nodded. "After I talk to Ruby, we should go after a few plant monsters together. I have the feeling we should practice as a team."

"Yes, it will also be good to get some frustration out," Lucy agreed.

"That too."

.

Kurumu got home from band practice, collected Akemi, Kumiko, and Tukune, then went over to see if Mariko wanted to go for a fly. She'd been spending every day with their children, and didn't want Mariko to feel like she was being left out.

It was Nana who came to the door. Pointing the way, she said, "Hi, Uncle Tsukune, Aunt Ku-mama. Ruby-mama and Aunt Moka want to see you in Ruby-mama's magic room."

Kurumu took the babies in and found Yuka to ask if she could watch them. Seeing Yuka, Akemi let out happy gaga's and waved her arms, which made Yuka back up a step and eye the child warily.

"Oh please, it will only be for a short while," Kurumu begged.

"Nana will help!" Nana said quickly. Before Yuka could protest, Nana took Akemi and sat down on the floor with her. Akemi was quiet, staring at Nana as intently as a tiny girl could.

Yuka took Kumiko. Kurumu left with a 'thanks'. Yuka sat on the couch, and found Kumiko wanted to get on the floor. Once there, Kumiko got up and walked, useing the edge of the couch for support. Coming to the end, she tried to walk to a nearby chair, and fell. Crawling over to it, she got up holding onto the chair, and kept going. Yuka noted that as Nana smiled at Akemi and talked to her, Akemi just sat and gaga'd back at Nana. She wasn't trying to bite her.

"That child must hate me," Yuka concluded.

.

In her magic room, Ruby explained to Yukari, Lucy, Moka, Tsukune and Kurumu why she had called them together. "Our mysterious scryer is persistent. In their last attempt, I caught the scry following a car to Witch Hill and backtracked it. I did not return the scry, yet. Tsukune, what I would suggest is myself and Yukari open a portal, and we visit this scryer to find out why they are interested in us."

"Agreed, but we don't know their intent, so we don't hurt anyone as long as no one tries to hurt us," Tsukune said.

Moka turned to Lucy. "I'm going to bring out my power when that portal is open. Be ready."

Lucy nodded.

Moka then said, "I have a plan, and do not hesitate."

.

Lin was finally catching a break. What she had reported to Master had kept her sister from punishment, but she still received a few lashes for not getting more. Each day she had nothing to report, she got another beating. As she opened her scry today high over the hill, it wasn't all an opaque blob below. A hole had appeared over a plain house. It wasn't the manor, but at least she could get something from servant chatter. She wouldn't have to lie on her mat in pain tonight.

Lin worked her spell. As she did, she felt something odd. He scry went down into the house far too easily. Energy built as she looked into another magic room. Spell energy that wasn't hers built fast, turning the scry into a portal. She noted there were many people in this room, and she was being overpowered. Lin tried to dispell her scry and throw up a shield.

Part way through her motions she was grabbed by what felt like an invisible snake. Pulled through the portal with a yelp, Lin's mind spun. She landed in the arms of a man who turned her to hold her facing away from him. His hand was over her mouth, and the invisible snakes were holding her arms to her sides as his other arm held her against him. She faced a vampire, two witches, a succubus, and another pink haired-red eyed yokai she'd never seen before.

This was it. Lin relaxed, letting her eyes go out of focus. She'd been tortured before, but with the looks she was getting now, she was about to die. That would be a wonderful lack of pain.

.

"Kurumu," Moka said and gestured to the Chineese woman Tsukune was holding.

Kuurmu nodded. She walked over to stand in front of the blank faced woman. Her tail slipped out and came up to plant the spade end on the woman's forehead. Right after she did, Kurumu's eyes went wide as she read Lin's memories. Kurumu's eyes got teary, and she began to sob. "That is ... horrible! Tsukune, this woman needs help!"

It took a while, but Kurumu told them everything Lin remembered. All the brutality Lin had suffered, she went though again as she relived every last one of her memories. By the time Kurumu had extracted her entire life as a slave, Lin was crying uncontrollably. She dimly noted that the room felt heavy with rage. The rage was not directed at her though.

When the hand came away from her mouth, Lin looked at the powerful group before her. Hitching in sobs, she begged, "Please, after you kill me, save my family."

The man holding her said, "You're not the one who's going to die."

"We're must act fast," Lucy mussed. "I take it this bully of a Master is a vampire?"

Lin nodded.

"I know what she looks like, and where she is. I'll lead you to her," Kurumu said in a growl.

"No," Moka said, "You tell us. Myself and Lucy will go deal with her. First we find this woman's family, then you and Tsukune go get them." Walking up to Lin, Moka cupped Lin's chin and made her look her in the face. "We will deal with this master of yours. If you want your family to live, then you will help Yukari find them."

"Master will kill them when she finds out I am missing," Lin said blankly.

"Then we'd better hurry, don't you think?"

.

Gan Li sat in his mother's court, draining the life from his dinner. The peasant girl in his arms went limp. He got a few more mouthfuls from her, then let her body fall to the floor. He waved a hand, and a pair of servants dragged the body away as he wiped his lips with a napkin. Across the room, one of the lower vampires was draining a girl in ragged clothing. "Mother, these peasants should dress better when they come to feed us, they look ragged," he said off hand.

"They are peasants," the red eyed vampire said to him. Casting him a smirk that crinkled the scar running down her face from her forehead, across her eye and down by the corner of her lip. She then added, "If you wish to dress your food up, then do so. Do not put off a meal just for being unsightly. Apollo is awake, and I have a lead to track him down. I do not want you weak at a bad time."

Gan let out a huff and said, "Mother, that was long ago. If this Apollo is so powerful, why provoke him? What makes you think you can beat him now after he caused such devistation before?"

"I can't, but I know of someone who can," she said smoothly. "My Witch slave has found one who has beaten Apollo. She has a family also, so we will be able to control her. We get to finish off Apollo and his family," she finished with an evil grin.

Gan had much respect for his mother, but the woman was insane. He wasn't sure if it was her over developed pride, or some lack of wisdom that made her so obsessed with this Apollo. He knew it was a bad idea to torment a stronger being. Especially when that being was so strong, they had no chance in a fight against him. One thing he had learned was that there was an order to the universe. Animals ate plants, humans ate animals, vampires ate humans, and so on and so forth. It was folly to attempt to overcome someone much higher up on the food chain.

"Mother, if I may, we should proceed very carefully. From what I learned, Apollo is a ladies' man. Perhaps he let her win for some reason," Gan ventured.

"He would not hesitate to kill a woman. I have seen that for myself. He did kill your older sister. I spend years recovering from that encounter. I will have my vengeance," his mother stated with a glow of hatred in her eyes.

Gan felt an energy surge. Looking up, he saw a pair of young women, one obviously a white haired vampire, and another pink haired woman with horns appear in the middle of the room. Their four vampire guards immediately became alert, focusing on them. Gan stood up, ready for anything.

His mother eyed the pair angrily. "Who are you, and tell me why I should not kill you," she growled.

The pink haired woman snorted, dismissing the threat. The white haired vampire glared back at his mother.

**"I am Aono Moka. You will tell me why you were scrying on us, and you will do it now."**

His mother brought up her own power. **"Feeling arrogant, are we? Guards, hold the vampire, kill the other one!"**

The guards rushed to obey her command.

**SPLAT**

**SPLAT**

**SPLAT**

**SPLAT**

Partway to their targets, the guards exploded, body parts flying everywhere. The marble floor was covered in blood and gore. The tapestries and silks on the walls were also heavily spattered in vampire blood.

"Anyone else you want me to kill?" the pink haired woman asked with blazing red eyes.

Gan froze in place. "Mother," he said and was drowned out by her yell of defiance.

**"You DARE to come here and ATTACK ME?" **she wailed.

**"You will learn your place,"** Moka stated.** "DO NOT bother us again, or you will suffer the consequences."**

Gan felt his mother tense up. He grabbed her from behind and held on tight before she could attack. "**Mother, stop!"** he commanded.

**"Let go of me, you fool! NO ONE gets away with attacking me in my own court!"**

Gan had his foot stomped on, then he was elbowed and kneed in frantic motions. He tried to maintain his hold, but his mother broke free and knocked him back into the wall. She pulled her whip and charged.

**SPLAT**

Gan watched as his mother came apart, blood and body parts spreading out to add to the gore already covering the floor. Her head rolled toward the white haired vampire, she kicked it aside. Pulling himself out of the wall, he forced himself calm. To attack this pair meant instant death.

**"Are you next?"** Moka asked, eyeing him.

Gan shook his head sadly and said, "That was my mother. I am ... very sad she is dead. She did deserve what happened. Do not expect me to show you any courtesies. Please leave."

**"You will not bother us again, is that understood?"** Moka asked in a manevolent tone.

"Clearly."

Gan watched as the pair left, vanishing into some kind of portal. As he gazed at the mess that used to be his mother and their vampire guards, the chamber door flew open. "Master, we..." the orc guard stopped as he saw the carnage.

"What is it?" Gan asked. The orc guard just stared. "SPEAK!" Gan commanded.

"There was an attack in the peasant compound. A few peasants are missing, and so is the Witch slave," the orc said, studying the floor covered in blood and chunks of gore.

"Get someone to clean this mess up," Gan ordered.

"Shall I order an assembly for a counter attack?"

"Do nothing but what I tell you. I want this room cleaned. Tomorrow I will need to hold council here, it better be spotless," Gan told him.

"Yes, Master."

Gan would remember the name Aono. Not like his mother, who had held onto foolish dreams of revenge, but knowing that name belonged to people who were higher in the food chain then he was. He knew his place.

.

At first, Lin didn't believe her eyes. Her mother, now old and gray, stepped through the portal followed by her aged father, then her two surviving sisters. Gapping at them, she touched them to be sure they were real. She was hugged and kissed by her family. Tears of joy came to her eyes as she hugged them back, then an unpleasant thought came to her. Around them were these new people. They had jerked her out of her magic room, then retrieved her family. Were they going to exact vengeance for her scrying on them?

Looking at Ruby, Lin said, "Do whatever you want with me. Please don't hurt my family."

"No one is going to hurt any of you, anymore," Tsukune said gently.

"That bully you called 'Master' is dead," Lucy stated.

**"Your life is now your own. Live it wisely,"** Moka added. She then got Tsukune and Kurumu's attention. **"We need to talk,"** she stated, and led them way.


	7. Chapter 7

Capu 4 ch 7 **A** **Royal pain**

"But, that isn't fair!" Kurumu cried as she gapped at White haired Moka.

In Tsukune's bedroom, Moka stood with her arms crossed, chin held high as she had made her demand. **"I ask very little of you, Kurumu. I share my husband with you as well as my child. Is it too much to ask that you not kiss and..."** giving a slight shudder, Moka added, **"Make love to me?"**

"I share the same things with you," Kurumu countered. "If you don't like it, just go to sleep or something! Your other self enjoys my company."

**"Perverts,"** Moka grumbled. She could not whack some sense into the succubus, so she resorted to reasoning. **"When my other half gets excited, I cannot ignore it. I cannot 'go to sleep'. I am all too aware of what is happening to MY body."**

Kurumu eye her sadly and said, "You don't like me at all, do you?"

**"Not true! You are very caring toward Tsukune and our children. You are helping Tsukune every way you know how. Although not as tasty as Tsukune, your blood is adequately satisfying..." **Moka said, trying to come up with reasons why she put up with Kurumu.

The only time Moka had sampled her blood, was when Moka had nursed on her. Pointing a finger at her, Kurumu quickly said, "You DO like nursing on me!"

**"I DO NOT!"** Moka snapped back as her whole face flushed red.** "I was merely saying you fulfill my needs."** Seeing Kurumu cast her a crooked grin, Moka yelled, **"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!"**

"Sure sounded like it," Kurumu mussed.

Moka curled her hands into claws, let out a bellow, then stormed out of the room.

Kurumu watched her go, then quietly said to herself, "She doesn't want to admit she likes it."

.

In a rolling field outside the fence around Witch Hill, Lin watched as her parents pointed out where they wanted the pre-fab house placed. It wasn't the common peasant shack, but a decent sized house with enough bedrooms so her and her sisters each had their own room. Ruby cast some magic to level the ground so the foundation could be poured. A real concrete foundation, not a dirt-packed floor.

In the large field beyond that was squared off with a long streamer of yellow ribbon that marked the boundaries to their land, the two horned girls, Mariko and Nana, were racing each other to turn the soil over so the field could be planted.

All this was too good to be true. Powerful beings did not grant land to peasants. They did not supply grand homes and help get the land ready for farming. Lin was happy that her family would have a decent place to live, but she also knew the cost of such would fall squarely on her shoulders. Hard. The Aono's had to want something from her, and when they asked, she had no choice now but to accept. She wondered what great task they had planned for her. Obviously, she wouldn't survive, that was why they were giving the rewards first, so Lin could see she was not going to die in vain.

Seeing Lord Aono watching the foundation being poured with another man and a pink haired vampire, Lin decided to go find out what this great task was. Whatever it was, it was fine. They were giving her family something that they could have only dreamed about.

"Excuse me," Lin said respectfully with a bow. "I wanted to thank you for treating my family so well. Whatever you wish of me, I will do to the best of my ability." She kept her eyes downcast, as a proper servant should.

Lord Aono and the pink haired woman looked at each other. "It is impolite not to look at the person you are addressing," Lord Aono said.

Lin forced her eyes to raise. Having looked down at her Master for so long, she blushed at being able to look a powerful man in the face. "Please forgive me," she said meekly.

"Nothing to forgive, you're not a slave any more," Tsukune told her. He then motioned to the people with him. "Lin, this is Akasha, Moka's mother. This is Sir John Smith, from England. Sir John, Akasha, this is Lin, the lady I was telling you about."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lin," Akasha said with a smile.

"Pleasure, M'lady," John said with a bow.

Lin flushed brighter red at the greetings. Her eyes automatically dropped. "I am unworthy of that title," she said in her meekest voice.

"Nonsense," Tsukune stated.

"I understand you have endured much. That is over. His Lordship is not going to allow you to be abused any longer," Sir John said patiently.

"You must want something from me," Lin said, looking at Tsukune.

Tsukune nodded. "I do. I want you to live a good life, to treat people decently, and help your neighbors if they need it."

Lin gapped at him. "But there must be some task you have for me," she said.

"I believe Tsukune just gave you your task," Akasha told her.

"There has to be something else." Lin insisted.

Tsukune frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "Well, I am sure Ruby would appreciate it if your family sold their extra harvest to the school."

Becoming angry as his avoiding her fate, Lin hissed, "Stop playing with me! I know there is something, most likely very dangerous you want me to do. I know I will probably die, I can take it! So just tell me!"

Taken aback by her outburst, Tsukune stared at her. Akasha laughed.

Akasha put an arm across Lin's shoulders. "Dear Lin, Tsukune would not ask something like that of you unless all of us were risking the same fate. We are not like that one you called Master."

"Then why build a farm, a nice farm for my family?" Lin asked.

"Because your family are farmers and need a place to live," Tsukune told her. "Did you think we would put you all out on the street?"

"M'Lady, I have come to find that Lord Aono here is fair to those who treat others decently," Sir John said.

"Just listen and learn," Akasha coaxed.

Lin nodded. Yes, that was exactly what she had to do.

Ruby came up to the group. "Tsukune, the well is dug, sewer is in, and the foundation is finished. The workmen can finish putting the house in place and connect everything up. I'm ready to go."

"Thank you, Ruby," Tsukune said, casting her a pleasant smile.

Sir John frowned and asked Akasha, "That fellow, Apollo, he is attending?"

Tsukune coughed and said, "That's why Lucy isn't going. I don't think that would end well."

"Irresistible force and the immovable object," Sir John said with a chuckle. "I am surprised you are attending, Lord Aono."

"I have to," Tsukune said with a grimace.

"Apollo will be there and everyone will behave themselves," Akasha said with a smile, but her tone carried a veiled warning.

"I'm going to get everyone together," Tsukune announced. "Sir John, we'll meet you at the gate?"

"I will be waiting with Lady Ageha," Sir John assured him.

.

The vampire Akasha had been right, Lin picked up much from just listening. She had seen Apollo get beaten, and assumed these were his enemies. Yet, they were going to meet some people, and Apollo was one of them. The one named Lucy wasn't going, Lord Aono feared a clash between her and Apollo. Lord Aono and the others waved goodbye to her as they left. Not knowing what else to do, Lin returned their waves. There were indeed strange nobles.

.

Akasha's court room was semi-circular in shape. Two rows of seats with small desks in front of them lined the curved walls. In the center of the room were three desks and chairs for the Dark Lords. All these seats faced the throne in the center of the flat wall. On each side of the throne were two ornate seats smaller than the throne itself, and two more seats beyond those. Above the main floor were rows of seats for family members, and those who may be called down to bear witness or give testimony.

There had been a summons for all vampire families to attend a conference. Gan knew this was not a request, but an order from the Queen herself. To disobey was to risk displeasure from the Queen. After the recent disaster at his own palace, Gan Li dared not ignore the call.

Entering the chamber, Gan noted other family heads had arrived, but the throne and seats beside it were unoccupied so far. He was glad of this, for it was considered very disrespectful to come in after the Queen was seated. Vampires had been removed from their place as head of the family, and in one case, killed for showing such lack of respect. Gan found his seat, and waited patiently.

More family heads came in from different lands. The three Dark Lords arrived and stood by their seats discussing something quietly.

"A HUMAN?" a voice cried from the floor. Gan looked up. In the balcony, A human man was sitting down bracketed by some lower yokai women. Everyone stared at the human, surprised and angered by this intrusion to a royal court.

A loud banging sounded as one of the Dark Lords hit his gavel on the table. "SILENCE! The Queen had ordered his presence. He will not be touched!"

A mass of grumbling followed. Some eyed the human with hate filled eyes, others ignored him. No one was happy that a human was present, but they were not about to defy the Queen or the Dark Lords.

The court room filled up. The Dark Lord Shuzen announced, "ALL RISE FOR HIS MAJESTY, LORD AONO AND PRINCESS MOKA!"

.

Tsukune felt odd in his red shirt and black suit topped with a high collared black cape. Moka was dressed the similarly, with a red and black dress and the same cape. Somehow, with her white hair and red eyes, the clothing suited her. When their names were called, he stiffened himself and walked out with Moka on his arm. Trying to ignore the mass of vampires watching them, he escorted Moka to her seat on the right hand side of the throne, then took his own place on the left side.

In front of them, Lord Shuzen announced, "ALL RISE FOR HIS MAJESTY, COUNT DRACULA!"

Tsukune turned as Mr. Kobayashi came out. His face shifted into a European look. He took the seat beside Moka. Seeing Tsukune's stare, he nodded with a grin.

"ALL RISE FOR HIS GREATNESS, LORD APOLLO!"

Murmurs filled the room as Apollo came out and took a seat beside Tsukune. Gan felt the same apprehension. From everything he knew, Apollo was suppose to be their enemy. What was he doing here?

"ALL RISE FOR HER MAJESTY, QUEEN AKASHA!"

The murmur died as Akasha came out sporting her own black cape over her clothes. Akasha took her place on the throne and announced, "Be seated."

Akasha waited for the shuffling of chairs to die out, then looked over the assembly. In a strong voice, she said, "I have summoned you all here to bear witness to important events. This first is to announce my heir to the Throne, Lord Aono Tsukune. His wife, my daughter, Aono Moka has vowed to support and stand beside him. Already at his young age, Lord Tsukune has proven his strength and wisdom. If there is anyone who holds a grievance with my decision, speak now!"

The room was dead silent.

"There is one other matter that is of vital importance to us all," Akasha announced. Gesturing to the Dark Lords, Akasha said, "Lord Shuzen, come forth and explain this experiment the Dark Lords are engaged in."

Lord Shuzen rose and walked around in front of his desk. He bowed to Akasha, then turned to the assembly. "Fellow vampires, for centuries we have lived on the edges of the world, hiding our true nature. We do this to keep humans from learning the truth about us. We do it to keep humans from gathering together to attack us and destroy the places we have worked hard to build."

With a grand gesture, he announced, "We are working to provide a world where we no longer will have to hide! While in the past, some have been able to carve out niches for themselves through war, that will no longer be necessary. Nor will be the inevitable revolt and collapse that follows such attempts. First, we had Yokai Academy, a place where yokai learned to live in human lands as humans so they could survive. That project as been a resounding success. To fully explain our current project, I call on Kurama Ruby, the director for Witch Hill Academy."

Ruby came down to the main floor as Lord Shuzen returned to his seat. Ruby bowed before Akasha, then turned and explained.

"Greetings," Ruby said, bowing a second time to the assembly. "I was tasked to build a school in human lands and teach yokai and humans together..."

A rumbling of murmurs rolled across the room.

"Silence!" Akasha demanded. "Mrs. Kurama will have her say!"

Ruby waited until the rumbling died out, then continued. "The first year has been a resounding success. It has been so wonderful..."

"Ruby!" Tsukune said in a warning cough.

Ruby glanced back at him, blushing slightly. "The student body was made up of ninety seven yokai of various races, and ninety nine humans. We had expected trouble with the students, but the only trouble we faced was from outside the school. The students we lost was due to this trouble, and not killing or maiming by the students themselves. We also found that when trouble came, the entire student body banded together to defend the school. They learned, lived, played, and formed bonds together."

Gesturing with her Wand, Ruby continued. "Many graduates returned to their previous lifestyles and places they are familiar with. Some graduating Yokai are now enrolled in human colleges or have jobs, living with and around their human friends. A few humans chose to follow their yokai friends back to their homelands. Every one of them identified themselves not by what they were, but with their class as a whole. This coming year, we will have junior and senior high school, special schools for younger students, and a college prep school. Next year we plan to expand the prep school into a full college, as well as add more classes for younger children or all types."

Ruby then bowed and returned to her seat.

While she did so, Tsukune noted Apollo's knee bouncing up and down. He was aching to get his opinion in.

"Lord Shuzen?" Akasha asked.

Lord Shuzen got up and announced, "I call down Sir John Smith."

John rose and straightened his suit jacket. He walked down the stairs with dignity and past vampires that eyed him dangerously. Coming before Akasha, he bowed deeply. "Request to speak, Your Majesty," he said respectfully.

"Permission granted," Akasha replied.

John bowed again to the assembly. His voice was loud and clear, which surprised many vampires for him being a human. "I came here originally to find and put an end to the vampire infestation in southern Japan. When I arrived, I must say I found plenty of monsters, and a few vampires, but nothing like I had expected to find. I would have never guessed that the Aonos were so charming and acted very much like what I'd call for the lack of a better term, 'normal' people. Are they vampires that feed off human blood? Most certainly. Are they evil monsters out to destroy the world? Certainly not. They are quite decent folks that I am happy to be associated with. There was no monster takeover as I had been lead to believe. I saw plenty of monsters, yes. Monsters that owned shops, monsters that played football for their school, monsters on the street, monsters working for a living, and not one of those monsters lived up to the horrifying picture that had been painted for me back in England. When my compatriots asked me what should we do about the 'situation in Japan', I gave them my honest answer. Do nothing. If compelled to do anything, we should support Lord Aono."

Sir John then bowed, saying, "Thank you for your attention."

"Lord Shuzen?" Akasha asked.

Lord Shuzen stood up and took his place before Akasha. He bowed, then said, "Your Majesty, these testimonies are only an example of many that should prove our point. My human servants accept me as their Lord. The humans at Witch Hill and in the surrounding area have accepted yokai living in their midst. Not yokai hiding in the darkness, but living with them. As the leaders of all yokai, we can show the other races we no longer need to fear being exposed. Lord Aono has done a wonderful job, and I am positive he will continue to do so."

"Thank you, Lord Shuzen," Akasha said with a tip of her head.

Lord Shuzen bowed and returned to his seat.

Apollo shot to his feet and waked over to stand before the tables where the Dark Lords sat. Pointing at them, he spat, "This folly of yours will bring complete ruin! Your titles are removed, you are not fit to be Dark Lords..."

"Apollo!" Akasha snapped. "Have you forgotten your promise to me to hold to court decorum? Have you, or have you not vowed to assist in this experiment?"

Apollo spun to Akasha. "These beings defiled their very purpose. You know that! **They are disbanded!**"

**"THEY ARE NOT!"** Akasha roared in return. **"If anyone has lost their place, it is YOU! Your impatience and rush to attack children is a disgrace to everything we are working for."**

Apollo stared at Akasha. "I don't believe I'm hearing this," he all but whispered in shock. "You would defy me?"

"You leave me no choice," Akasha said as her face scrunched up. "Apollo, I know you care deeply about the world and everyone in it. I know how kind you can be. I truly appreciate your kindness. You also are too headstrong and act before you think. I can cite many examples, this last being your promise to ME that you would respect my court, yet here you are ignoring your promise just to get your word in. Papa, you MUST understand I cannot allow such outbursts."

"You know I must do what I feel is right, no matter who is hurt," Apollo said evenly.

"And you have taught me that well," Akasha agreed with a nod. "That is exactly what I am doing. I did not wish to do it like this in front of hundreds, but again you have forced me to act." Stiffening herself, Akasha stated, "Apollo, I am taking your place. I do this for the good of the world and for you. I would ask you be my closest advisor."

"What?" Apollo asked, not believing his ears.

"Your heart is in the right place, but you have failed to live up to your own expectations. You cannot see what is best, only what you know has happened before," Akasha explained.

"I cannot allow that."

"You have no say in the matter."

Tension was high in the court as Apollo and Akasha stared at each other. Everyone knew a battle for dominance was about to unfold.

"Do not make me remove you from that Throne," Apollo warned.

"Remember Witch Hill?" Akasha asked, her face firming up into a mask. "Do not force me to teach you your place." She waved a hand. Tsukune and Moka stood, eyeing Apollo.

Apollo glanced at Tsukune, then Moka. "I will not go down easily," he stated.

"But, you WILL go down, and with the pieces of you put in separate, scattered containers. You will STAY down until I decree otherwise," Akasha stated in return. "I beg you, do not force such a distasteful act upon me and my heirs."

Apollo let out a breath that hitched. "You ... my daughter ... are betraying me."

"NO! I am saving you. So many years of anguish, so many centuries of pain. I know what you have gone through. You have bore the brunt of responsibility all this time. It is time to let someone else takes the responsibility," Akasha told him. "Please, accept my decree. Step down willingly. The last thing I want is to hurt you any further. Your opinion is very important to me, otherwise I would have never asked you to be here to begin with."

"I cannot let a vampire rule humans. Even if it is you." Apollo stated as a tear ran down his face.

"I have no plans of directly being involved in human rule. Neither do my heirs. As you yourself have said many times, our job is to guide," Akasha replied.

"Apollo! You should step down," Dracula said as he rose. "Akasha is correct. It is time to give her a chance, the world is far different now. As much as I would love to see you ripping into pieces, I am also aware that doing such would break Akasha's heart. That I would not want to happen. I don't think you do either."

Apollo stood motionless. "What has happened to you, my dear Akasha?" he asked quietly.

In a sincere tone, Akasha said, "I've grown up. Like you have taught me, I would do anything to save loved ones and see that justice is done. Why do you think I faked my own death and hid all those years? I did it to protect my daughter. Much of the reason I do this now, is for you. To remove the burden off your shoulders, so for once in your life, you may live for yourself. Don't you have enough nightmares?"

"I do not want you to suffer through what I have," Apollo replied.

"I know," Akasha said softly. "I do love you dearly, Apollo. However I must do, what I must do."

"**Apollo, please let us handle the responsibility. I would like to get to know you, instead of only knowing just how to fight you," **Moka added.

Apollo wavered as if he was going to fall over. After a long pause, he said, "Very well, Queen Akasha. I will pass on my responsibility to you. Do not think for a moment that I will be silent. I will be diligently watching, and be advising you every step of the way."

"And I thank you for it," Akahsa said, offering him a smile. Getting up from her Throne, she went over and hugged Apollo. They shared a few quiet words, then each returned to their seats.

Akasha wiped her eyes and announced, "Apollo has made his objection to this project known." Seeing Dracula was still on his feet, she said, "Count Dracula, you may speak."

Unlike Apollo's nearly bringing a war to the courtroom, Dracula strode easily over to the Throne. Holding his cape, he gave Akasha an elegant bow. "You Majesty," he said, in a slow, measured tone. "I tend to agree with Apollo's objection. Our reasons differ, but each of us are able to see that this experiment is not a sound idea. As you know, I have kept a close watch on this whole fiasco. Like Apollo, I am not speaking from ignorance, youthful exuberance or rumor. I strongly feel that it is not in our best interest as vampires to let this charade go on." Turning, he called out, "Li Family, come forth!" Turning back to Akasha, he added, "There are many families that will not want, nor accept this ... cuddly arrangement with humans. I am sure there are many who are upset that this experiment is even going on. The Li family, for example."

Turning back, Dracula noted it wasn't Fang Li who was approaching, but her son. "Boy, where is your mother?" he asked heavily.

Gan bowed to the Queen. "Your Majesty," he said in a reverent tone. This close he could also see that it was his mother's killer was sitting next to the Queen. So that was the power of the royal family, he thought. They killed his mother nd her guards without even blinking, and had not just made Apollo himself back down. He looked at Dracula and said, "Mother has passed on."

"What do you mean, 'passed on'?" Dracula asked harshly.

"She was killed. She did not realize her place," Gan stated. "I am now the family head."

"Would you accept living with humans?" Dracula asked as he curled up his lip.

"I will abide by her Majesty's word," Gan stated.

"That is not what I asked."

"That is the only answer I will give. Queen Akasha rules us all. Her word is law," Gan stated.

"Begone," Dracula spat.

Gan bowed deeply and went back to his seat.

"Count Dracula, your objection is noted," Akasha said firmly.

One he sat down, Akasha scanned the room and asked, "Is there anyone else who wishes to speak?"

The Dark Lords, especially Issa Shuzen, were reveling in their relief that Akasha had stood up for them. No one offered to speak, so Akasha said, "Lord Aono, approach the Throne."

Tsukune got up and faced Akasha. He gave a deep bow, and asked, "Yes, My Queen?"

Gazing at him sympathetically, Akasha said, "Lord Aono, you have been placed at the center of this experiment. You have taken the brunt of the responsibility that the Dark Lords have shrugged off of their shoulders, and onto yours. They have disgraced themselves by this course of action, and should be ashamed. Be it failure or success, it will be your name all will remember, forever. You carry the weight of entire races, possibly civilization as we know it, in your actions and words. Do you understand this?"

Tsukune swallowed. Akasha had a way of making it sound very permanent. "Yes, My Queen," he said, trying to sound firm. He swore though he barely whispered it.

Looking at the Dark Lords, Akasha announced, "Lord Aono, I hereby decree that you, and you alone hold supreme authority over the yokai school system and this experiment in yokai and human co-existence. In these matters, your words are mine. To challenge you, is to challenge me. Ensure our children are taught well. Do with this experiment as you see fit."

The Dark Lords mouths dropped open. Essentially, Queen Akasha has stripped them of their responsibilities and titles, making Lord Aono THE Dark Lord.

It took all of Tsukune's will to bow without falling over, and say, "Yes, My Queen." He then returned to his seat. Thankfully he sat down before he fell down. He stared off at nothing as his mind spun, ignoring Apollo's stare beside him.

"I will now hear other matters of concern," Akasha announced.

Apollo shot to his feet.

"Apollo, you may speak," Akasha said with a huff.

Again Apollo quickly went over to the Throne, bowed and greeted her properly. He then asked, "Queen Akasha, do you honestly want this experiment to continue?"

"Did you not hear?" Akasha asked. "I have given Lord Aono the authority over that project. What happens with it, is up to him. Is that all?"

"Yes ... your Majesty," Apollo said with a quick bow, and returned to his seat.

.

Tsukune heard other business come up, but he had no idea what was being said. He knew what he'd been tasked to do was important, but today, the entire weight of it was crushed down on his shoulders. He was no longer doing what someone asked or ordered him to do. It was all his. All the lives of not only those in and around Witch Hill were his responsibility, but possibly all those of the entire world. If he failed, the dead, dying and maimed would all blame him.

He felt sick, like he wanted to puke.

Some time, Tsukune wasn't sure how much time had passed, Moka stood before him and offered her hand. "Come," she said.

Tsukune got up. Even though her hand was tucked under his arm, Moka led him out of Akasha's court. He was vaguely aware of people around them and Moka's occasional bark of, "NOT NOW!"

Tsukune held his stomach together until they reached the gardens outside. He doubled over and vomited into the rose bushes. Moka stayed beside him, holding him up. After he'd emptied his stomach, she guided him to the portal Ruby was holding open for them.

.

Tsukune sat on his bed staring at the floor as Moka removed his shirt. "I'm doomed," he said.

Moka threw his shirt down, then knelt before him. Cupping his face in her hands, she made him look at her. "Stop thinking like that! Mother had a very good reason to put you in charge. She knows if anyone can do it, you can," she said sternly. "Tsukune, the only way you will fail is if you give up, and I know you better than that! You can make it succeed or if you think this project will not work, then end it. You have that power now. You bow to no one except my mother. I will support you whatever you do, and so will Mother."

"Moka," Tsukune whispered.

"We're behind you, my love," Moka assured him.

Tsukune hugged his white-haired goddess. "It's just so ..."

"Immense?"

"Yeah."

"Good, you're back!" Kurumu cried happily as she came in. "I'm heading down to get ready for the concert. You're coming to watch me, right?"

After the seriousness of Akasha's court, Tsukune saw Kurumu's wide open smile as a beacon of light after the darkness he'd suffered through. He laughed at how bubbly she was. "We'll be there," he promised.


	8. Chapter 8

Capu 4 CH 8 **Burnin' down the house**

Chiyo sat in her dressing room looking down at the recently built stage outside the hotel and the mass of people on the beach waiting to be entertained. It wasn't the biggest crowd she'd ever drawn, but it was a decent amount and enough to show her concert on the airwaves and reaffirm that she was still a top Diva.

"Chiyo," her manager said as she rushed in. "Remember, the warm up act has three songs, then you're on."

"Who is it?"

"An unknown, a local band called 'The Flying Yokai'. Recently formed from what I've been told. By the time they are done, those people out there will be aching for real talent," the perpetually happy manager said to her.

"A bunch of losers," Chiyo concluded.

"Most likely. Anyway, when you go out, do your best and blow them away! No ad-libbing, sing your songs as originally written. We have to get you back on the top of the charts," her manager said.

Looking out to see a busty blue haired girl in a backless, short dress that matcher her hair, setting up with her band behind the curtain, Chiyo let out a snort. "They are losers, she thinks that hair and those fake boobs will pull her through." Turning to her band members, Chiyo said, "All right! Let's get back stage, I think we're going to have to rescue the locals."

Her band laughed and followed her out.

Chiyo got to the side curtain as it rose. The singer waved to the crowd and yelled, "Ahio!"

"Ahio, Kurumu-san!" came a reply from the crowd with a forest of arms waving back.

Chiyo was shocked as they began to play a snappy tune and 'Kurumu' belted out her song with clear, strong lyrics.

***Author's note, the song, 'Melt" is actually sung by Hatsume Miku**

_I wake up in the morning_

_and immediate started thinking of you..._

_I decided to cut my bangs_

_only to hear you say, "What happened"_

_A pink shirt, a flower barrette_

_and it's time to go, I'm looking so cute today!_

_MELT! I'm about to melt_

_I can't tell you I like you ... but..._

_MELT, I can't let our eyes meet,_

_I'm not into love and all that_

_but I do ... like you!_

_La la la, la la la la _

_la la la la, la la la _

_la la la, la la laaa laaaa!_

_The weather report lied, it's really pouring down,_

_the collapsible umbrella in my bag won't open at all_

_so I gave a sigh, "I guess I'll have to let you in"_

_you laughingly said beside me_

_that was the sound that made me fall in love_

_MELT! I can hardly breathe!_

_My hand touching yours is trembling _

_my heart is racing under this half of the umbrella!_

_If your should stretch out your hand some more, _

_what will I do? My feelings will reach you!_

_It's time to stop wishing,_

_I feel like I'm gonna cry!_

_And yet I'm so happy I could die_

_Kurumu pumps her fist in time with the music, the audience does also._

_La la la, la la la la _

_la la la la, la la la _

_la la la, la la laaa laaaa!_

_MELT! We've reached the station_

_We might not see each other anymore_

_we're so close, yet so far away, so ..._

_MELT! I want to walk hand in hand with you_

_must we say goodbye so soon?_

_Hold me tight, right away! _

_La la la la_

_La la la, la la la la _

_la la la la, la la la _

_la la la, la la laaa laaaaaaaaaaaa!_

Chiyo gapped as the crowd roared their approval. "She's good," she whispered to herself. Surely this unknown could not possibly have anything under her belt to match that first song.

The band started playing a rock tune, and Kurumu wailed out her lyrics strong and clear.

_I see you on the street and my heart skips a beat._

_You walk with me, I can barely breathe, _

_What does this mean?_

_You gaze at me and I tremble with glee_

_I wonder, if you feel the same thing_

_What does this mean?_

_Eating with you, just a normal thing, but_

_I want to jump over the table and hug you so tight!_

_What does this mean?_

_Taking our walks, I should feel calm beside you_

_I want to cry with joy when our hands are clasped_

_What does this mean!_

_I was told that love is a comfortable thing _

_full of pleasant memories, _

_helping each other living day to day_

_This has to be something more!_

_What does this mean!_

_I can see nothing but your face when you gaze at me_

_I feel empty when we part, so empty_

_So WHAT does this mean? _

Soon the crowd was yelling out "What does this mean?" along with Kurumu. Chiyo HAD to meet her song writer. No one could put together a band and good songs so quickly.

After that song ended with another roar or approval, The Flying Yokai dove into yet another rock song.

_Yo-Kai Love!_

_It's what I feel, when your kisses takes my breath away_

_Yo-Kai love!_

_When you smile at me, and tell me every-thing's OK_

_When you're with me all alone_

_you fill my world up , my body and soul_

_My protector, my only desire,_

_You fill my heart up, you set me on fire, with_

_Yo-Kai love!_

_guitar instrumental_

_Yo-Kai love!_

_guitar instrumental_

_Yo-Kai Love!_

Chiyo watched as Kurumu pumped her fist, the crowd doing the same with a nearly fanatical fever. They hung on her lyrics right to the very last word. When the last song ended, Kurumu bowed as the crowd went wild. Kurumu waved to them and began to walk off stage. Calls of "More, More!" and screams of "Kurumu, we love you!" filled the crowd.

"Holy god," Chiyo whispered. This was no ordinary opening act for a common resort.

Kurumu bowed twice more as she tried to escape the stage, waving to the people in between her bows.

The manager was right, Chiyo had to go sing her heart out just to keep up with the opener. Once the bands changed over, Chiyo bounced out on stage with an "Ahio!" just as Kurumu had. She got replies, but they didn't sound near as loud as what Kurumu had gotten.

Singing her best, Chiyo went through her songs to meet hearty applause, but not the roar Kurumu had received. At the end she bowed deeply and thanked the crowd, then escaped off stage. Chiyo couldn't believe she'd been outdone by an unknown who was just starting out!

A chant sounded, low at first, then gained momentum.

"Kurumu! Kurumu! Kurumu! Kurumu!"

After two solid minutes of the chant, Kurumu peeked her head out around the curtain. "Hai?" she asked innocently.

Just by showing her face, Kurumu made the crowd burst out in applause.

Someone screamed, "Do That's what it means to be young!"

"Yeah, sing it, please!"

Kurumu stepped farther out on stage. "You want to hear that?" she asked.

"YES!" came a thunderous roar interspersed with cheers and, "Yes, please!"

Chiyo noticed her manager beside her as Kurumu got her band back on stage.

"Who IS she?" Chiyo asked, almost in tears. She was being up-staged by a nobody!

"I don't know, but whoever she is, I'm signing her," her manager said.

The crowd cheered as soon as the prelude music started.

Once again, Chiyo was surprised to hear Kurumu start out in an powerful operatic voice to softer music, showing her range of ability.

_I had a dream bout an angel on the beach, and the perfect waves were starting to come_

_his hair was flying out in ribbons of gold, and his touch, it had the power to stun _

_I had a dream about an angel in the forest, he was standing by the edge of a lake_

_his body flowing in the jewels alive, and the earth below was starting to shake_

_But I don't see any angel in the city, I don't hear any holy choir sing!_

_And if I can't get an angel I can still get a boy, and a boy'd be the next best thing_

_The next best thing to an angel, a boy would be the next best thing!_

As the song suddenly blasted into a fast beat, and Kurumu picked up the pace with her strong voice, Chiyo wondered why she was here.

_I see a boy just above me, and he's nervous as a cat on the stairs_

_he's got the fire if a Prince in his eyes, and the thunder of his heart in his ears!_

_This boy is no son of a God who's looking down upon the face of the world_

_He sure is no Diety, he's just a poor slob like me, and I'm no angel but at least I'm a girl!_

_I had a dream that when the darkness was over, we'd be lying in the rays of the sun,_

_that was only a dream, and tonight is for real,_

_you'll never know what it means, but you know how it feels_

_It could be over_

"_**OVER**__!_" the crowd chorused.

Jealousy filed Chiyo as Kurumu's voice again whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Halfway through the song, Kuruku bent over to belt out some lyrics and wings sprung from her back. In a jump, Kurumu flapped up to stand on the light bar overhead to pump her fist to the beat. The crowd thrust their fists in the air in time with her as they screamed their approval. Jumping back down to land softly with the help of her wings, Kurumu kept singing. The crowd was singing right along with her.

Chiyo knew she'd been set up. That had to be it! This wasn't a concert to help her regain her popularity, that blue haired Bitch wasn't some nobody. This concert was given so that BITCH out there could rise in hers. She glared at her manager who was watching the performance starry eyed.

"See that? She's got wings, she's not human!" Chiyo snapped accusingly.

"I don't care if she has horns and carries a pitchfork, I'm signing her!" her manager declared.

Chiyo wanted to slap her. She stormed back to her dressing room, Kurumu's amplified voice chasing her all the way.

Even back in her dressing room, Chiyo could not escape. The last song had ended, but now Kurumu was singing with the crowd with no band backup. Chiyo knew the song, and older one named, 'I won't back down'. She could not understand WHY the crowd was singing with her like it was the most important song in their life.

She finally got a break when Krumu announced that was all, she had to get back home to her children. Even that brought down the house.


	9. Chapter 9

Capu 4 ch9 **Surprise surprise**

Akemi rose in her crib, holding onto the bars to help her stand. Through the window the early morning sun cast beams of light into her room, making the dressing stand glow. Leaning over, Akemi tried to grab the nearest bottle of baby powder. It was so pretty all lit up, she wanted it!

Grunting in concentration, Akemi climbed up on the railing of her crib. She teetered but managed to get her body atop the rail. She attempted to reach the bottle and her world tumbled.

Face scrunched up in a quiet whine, Akemi touched her nose that tingled. Sitting up, she saw the crib was above her now. She stared at it, never having seen this part of her world before. Crawling over to a leg, she climbed up to stand.

Kumiko made a noise from her crib. Looking over at her, Akemi waved an arm up and down and ga-ga'ed at her, inviting her down to see this new, strange thing. Kumiko pulled herself up and Ga-ga'ed back. The way Kumiko bounced up and down was funny, Akemi laughed. In her joy, she ran.

Akemi met the floor again on her face. A short whine and she sat up to look for something to up pull herself up with. Seeing the door nearby that had a ribbon hanging down, she crawled over to it. She pulled on the yellow ribbon and got part way up, and the it dropped, making her sit.

The ribbon that was tied around the ornate door latch had been put on by maids to help open the door when their hands were full. When Akemi pulled, it also unlatched the door.

Seeing the door crack open, Akemi used this to pull herself up. As she pulled, the door opened. Akemi got to her feet and wandered out into the hallway. She heard voices, and headed towards them to look in the room. In this room, a pair of maids had their backs to her, facing a table full of colorful blankets and clothes, folding them as they talked.

Akemi watched them. Seeing their big, juicy calves, she became a hungry. They were good, but the taste she wanted was that loud big person who really tasted good. Akemi went on down the hall, looking for the tasty woman.

There was a block across the floor. It was like her crib bars, but not as tall. Beyond was all kinds of open space. Akemi climbed up and again fell over the top. Getting back up she saw more flat floor continuing on, and the steps going down. Walking over to the steps, Akemi stepped down on the first one, and lost her balance.

Thump

Thump

Thump

Thump

Thump

Ameki's world again tumbled. She stopped tumbling to land on her back and look up at a ceiling high above her that was moving. Fascinated, she watched railing go by one one side, and wall pass by on the other. Waving her arms, she giggled with glee at the strange sight.

The step then stopped, rolling her off onto the floor. Now she was in a cavernous room. Gazing at the immensity of it, she sniffed. Was that food she smelled? Getting up, Akemi wandered off trying to find it.

"AKEMI'S GONE!" Came a screech that seemed to surround her. More excited voices called out, sounding panicked. The sounds made Akemi afraid. She whined as she toddle-walked through a doorway and into a hall. The voices became more frantic, and even more voices joined the cry. "Ama," she cried as she searched for a mother.

Passing a doorway, Akemi saw the long table with the tall glass thing centered on top. This was the place she saw the tasty woman. She looked around, but no one was here.

Frantic cries of, "AKEMI!" filled the air, floating down from all around her. Something had to be wrong!

"Ama," Akemi cried, and went between the big people chairs, looking for someone to hold her. There was no one there.

As far off calls of "AKEMI!" drifted to her, Akemi saw another doorway in front of her and toddle-walked to it. This room was smaller, and had tables ringed with large, fluffy chairs. She giggled happily, these chars was where Papa held her sometimes! Smelling Papa's chair, she climbed up. Gripping the seams in the upholstery, Akemi grunted and hauled herself up and in.

Tired from the exertion, and feeling afraid at all the yelling that was drifting to her, Akemi curled up on the seat, up against the back. In Papa's chair, she felt a bt safer. While she waited for Papa to come sit in his chair with her, she drifted back off to sleep.

.

Moka bore a stricken face as she cried, "What do you mean, you can't find her?" She grabbed a robe on her way out of the bedroom. Right behind her, Tsukune grabbed his robe and joined the search.

"How far could she have gone?" Tsukune asked, stunned that Akemi was missing.

"She wasn't in her crib, she's just GONE!" Suki cried in anguish.

The family floor was covered with everyone frantically searching for the missing child.

Tsukune covered every bit of floor and under every piece of furniture. Going back to the nursery, he searched the same places again, making sure Akemi hadn't somehow gotten into the closet or some nook they hadn't noticed. Fear began to nag at him. Had Akemi been kidnapped? Having his new place as Akasha's heir and right hand, it was possible. He then looked at Kumiko, sniffling as she watched the all-out search for her sister. Why kidnap one baby, and not both?

"Yukari!" Tsukune bellowed. Seeing the frantic witch run up to him, he said, "Check for any magical intrusion."

"She's not up here!" Moka called out in desperation.

"The stairs!" Kurumu called from the landing. "Minori, Yuki, go upstairs and look for her. Suki, come with me. Maybe she got to the stairs!" Kurumu then spread her wings and dove over the railing.

"Tsukune, there's been no magic," Yukari said, wide eyed. "How could she get out?"

Tsukune had no idea where his daughter could be. The windows were shut and not tampered with, and with no magic he didn't think (and prayed) that someone didn't take her. "She HAS to be here someplace!" he announced.

.

"Akemi!"

The startled cry was so close it snapped Akemi awake. "Ama!" she cried, and held her arms out to her blue-haired mother who was sobbing in relief. Her mother picked her up and cradled her in her arms closely. Knowing something had to be wrong, Akemi cried with her.

"Ya-hoo, I found her!" Kurumu cried happily.

.

After their heart-in-their-throat morning, Tsukune and his wives altered their day slightly. Tsukune had a meetings all day with city officials, Ruby and then with the Yokai school officials. Moka was going to go with him, but after Akemi pulled her disappearing act, she decided to stay home and ensure the 'babyproofing' was reinforced to keep them from another terrifying episode. Kurumu also put off meeting the new band manager until she helped Moka fortify the house against infant escape attempts.

Tsukune left the house to find a car waiting for in the courtyard, courtesy of the Mayor. Thankfully it was a small sedan, nothing that would draw attention. After a non eventful drive to city hall, the driver parked in a parking garage and led Tsukune up the elevator.

Off the elevator, Tsukune was led into an outer office where Mayor Hiromasa was taking to a small circle of men. Off to the side was a thin girl with curly blone hair wearing a dark skirt and blazer. Tsukune wouldn't have noticed her, but upon his entry, her eyes locked on him and went wide.

"Good to see you, Mayor Hiromasa," Tsukune said in a polite greeting as he bowed.

"Thank you for coming, Lord Aono." The Mayor replied. "There is someone I'd like you to meet."

Tsukune followed the Mayor over to the girl who was watching him. Her large sky blue eyes were locked onto Tsukune as she gazed at him in awe.

"This is Chris Tappan, from New Zealand," Mayor Hiromasa explained. "She was sent here from a Catholic school, part of a convent I believe."

"Greetings, Miss Tappan," Tsukune said as he bowed to her.

Chris just stared at Tsukune.

"She doesn't have the best of manners," a man behind Tsukune said.

Tskune turned to see a man who wore a suit, but had the white collar piece of a priest. The frowning man said, "Lord Aono. Chris was taken in as an orphan. Over the years, we've had problems with Miss Tappan, and we are at wits' end. We heard you were ... someone who may be able to deal with her."

"I don't understand," Tsukune said, eyeing him.

Slowly, the man said, "Chris has a few behavioral problems. We even sought the council of an exorcist," the man explained. Wincing, he added, "He fled after the earthquake. Not a normal earthquake mind you, but one just on the grounds." Seeing the odd look on Tsukune's face, the man added, "We don't think she's human."

"I see," Tsukune said. Turning to Chris he looked at her carefully. As he focused on her, he did feel a small amount of yokai energy. "Possible," he admitted.

.

Chris Tappan had heard all her young life about God. She read scriptures, she sang songs, she listened to sermons about the power and glory of God. Mother Superior had a god-like power about her. Chris could sense it. The Holy Mother had a small glow about her just like what was depicted around the saints in the stained glass windows. When she was confused or frightened, it had always been Mother Superior who was able to calm her and help her regain control.

The one they were calling Lord Aono didn't have a small, barely perceptible halo of energy around him like Mother Superior had. His energy was a blaze of glory Chris had sensed coming long before he walked in the room. When he entered, his glow seemed to penetrate the room, just like sunlight flooding into the sanctuary when the sun came full in through the tall multicolored windows. His aura was that of pure power, bathing her in the glory of his presence.

Chris had been afraid leaving the convent. Not because she liked living there, but because without Mother Superior, there would be no one who could give her comfort, no one to be on her side when she was teased and harassed. That would not happen to her any more. The Lord himself had come to take her home. There was only one way to show one's devotion to God.

.

As Tsukune studied Chris, her lips trembled. She began to sing softly. "Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee ... how great thou art, how great thou art..."

"Huh?" Tsukune asked.

"Chris has a tendency to sing and quote bible verses instead of speak."

"And you think we can help her?" Tsukune asked.

"Please, sir. With the wild happenings, many are leaving the convent, and others are fearful of what she may do," the man begged.

"Ummm, sure. I'll take her to Ruby," Tsukune told him as Chris kept singing as she stared at him. To try and get her to say something, Tsukune asked, "Hey Chris, would you like to come with me to meet a nice Lady?"

Chris responded by taking his hand, slipping to her knees and gazing up at him as she said, "Heavenly Father, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.."

"Ahhh," Tsukune winced, feeling very uncomfortable with what she was doing. Trying to ignore her praying as she stared at him, Tsukune turned to the Mayor. "Mayor Hiromasa, I think maybe I should take care of Miss Tappan before we ... um, have our meeting."

"Please take good care of her," the Mayor said. "I will inform Sir Smith of any items we would like your assistance with."

"Here is her suitcase, and the information folder we have on her," the priest said as he handed Tsukune the items. He then bowed with a, "Good day, Sir, and thank you." He then walked quickly out.

Tsukune looked at the folder. It didn't seem very thick for a girl who looked to be in her mid-teens.

"... and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory forever," Chris finished as she gazed up at Tsukune.

Flustered at this girl, and the way the priest had fled the room, Tsukune decided it was time for him to flee also. "We'll be going now, Mayor." Tsukune bowed and used the hold Chris had on his hand to help her to her feet. "Come on, Miss Tappan, we're going to see a lady who can help you."

Chris stood up and still gazing at Tsukune intently, promptly recited, "The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want..."

Ignoring her, Tsukune led her to the elevator. When Chris was done with that prayer, she sang another song. Then another. For some reason, the ride back to Witch Hill seemed to take forever.

.

Apollo had finally ceased his aimless wandering and sat on a bench by a lake, staring out over the water. Off to the side near a dock, laughing, squeals of joy and the chatter of young people came to him. The trees blocked his direct sight of their fun from his view, and him from them. He didn't want to be within sight of them and ruin their good time.

When Apollo had first arrived, he had been walking through the woods with no direction in mind. He'd come to the human word just to get away from his daughter. Hearing a girl scream and rough laughter, he raced toward the sound. He sensed yokai near, and feared someone was being attacked. Coming to the clearing by the lake, he did see a bear yokai standing in front of a human girl, with two other yokai, two other girls and three human boys around them. They were all laughing except for the human girl in front of the bear-boy.

"BAKA! You scared me!" the girl yelled at the bear-boy, and playfully slapped him on the nose. The bear boy put a paw over his nose and let out a fake yowl like he'd been injured.

"Now you have to ..." The girl stopped in the middle of her announcement as she saw Apollo. Her eyes grew wide. She grabbed a handful of bear fur and pulled, saying, "Get out of here, RUN!"

One by one, the teenagers followed the girl's gaze and saw Apollo. The boys yelled for the girls to flee and tried to stand in front of them. The girls grabbed handfuls of boy's shirts and fur and tried to pull them away. Once they got migrating in the same direction, they all fled. The bear boy scooped the girl he'd scared and another one up onto his back and took off. One lizard yokai grabbed a human boy under each arm and quickly followed. The last yokai, a wolf, got the last girl on his back before he took off running.

Apollo stared at the scene. The humans weren't afraid of the yokai with them, they were afraid of him. In fact, from the little he'd seen, they were getting along well together. Not one had fled alone, they had fled from him together.

Was Aono really onto something?

It was after that that Apollo found his vacant bench and sat down to contemplate the events after Akasha's court. He'd been angry. Very angry at the woman he called daughter, the fact that his little girl that he loved so much had betrayed him.

After court was over, Apollo had escaped into a sitting room. Akasha had found staring off at nothing.

"Papa...I'm sorry it's come to this." Akasha began gently but then became more stotic "But your judgment is impaired when it comes to the best interests..." The Vampire Queen's sentence was cut off as Apollo glared at her, livid in rage. For the first time ever, Akasha was on the receiving end of Apollo's anger.

"Best interests?! YOU DARE TO ME OF INTERESTS!?" Apollo thundered as he shot up, his eyes blazing "ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE LIVED EVEN THROUGH HALF OF THE THINGS I HAVE WITNESSED SHOULD YOU EVEN DARE QUESTION MY JUDGMENT!" Apollo's temper flared as he threw the heavy looking chair against the wall causing the wall itself to splinter and the chair to shatter.

Apollo went on at the top of his voice. "You speak of the pain's I've endured, of the nightmares I suffer? WELL YOU KNOW NOTHING AKASHA! YOUR LIFE SPAN IS A FLICKER COMPARED TO THE MASSES OF DOUBT AND REGRET THAT I HAVE PERSEVERED THROUGH SINCE CLAUDIA FIRST LIBERATED AND BARRED ME FROM DEATH!"

Akasha's eyes were wide as saucers as Apollo vented out his rage. She had known him to have a temper, but this was on a whole new level.

Apollo continued his rant, spittle fling from his mouth as he went on. "THE ONLY THING I HAD FOR THE SAKE OF LIVING THIS MISERABLE EXISTANCE WAS TO SEE THE LONG HOPED PEACE BETWEEN HUMAN AND YOKAI FUFILLED! YOU IN YOUR IMPAITENCE HAVE RUINED THAT DREAM AND STRIPPED FROM ME THE ONLY THING I HAD IN LIFE!"

"You have your family Papa...you have us" Akasha muttered, trying her hardest to hold back her tears and remain behind her mask, but the snarl that echoed from Apollo made her regret bringing it up.

"My family?" he asked caustically. "My family, YOU, have betrayed me! What is worse, you are using your own daughter and her mate as a means to do so! You are using your own child for further your gains. How DISPICABLE!"

**CRACK**

Akasha recoiled, backpedaling as she held her face from the hard slap as she gapped at Apollo.

"In all my years, I have NEVER used you!" Apollo spat as his jaw tensed up. "I've cared about you, looked out for you and I trusted you to be able to work with your better judgment to the best of your abilities, but now look at yourself. Reduced to using your own family to get what you want!"

Despite his utter rage at Akasha, Apollo saw the pained look on Akasha's face and the tears dripping from her eyes. It was too much for Apollo to take. He'd slapped her without thinking. The sting on his hand broke him out of his rant. He realized what he'd just done, and it broke his heart. Before he burst out in tears, he turned and fled.

Now as Apollo sat staring off across the lake, he felt numb. The anger was replaced by a hollow pit where his emotions used to be. It would have been better if Akasha had ordered him chopped up into bits and sealed away. Maybe then he would die and not have to live with the pain of this betrayal.

"Why are you here?"

The harsh voice snapped Apollo out of his thoughts. Not far away, Queen Lucy stood eyeing him. He let out a snort and returned his gaze to the water. "Oh great. Come to gloat, eh? I bet you are really enjoying this," he grated.

"What are you talking about? A couple people told me you were around. So, why are you here?" Lucy asked firmly. "I will not tolerate bullying."

Apollo let out a sarcastic chuckle. "No one has any need to fear me. Not any more." Waving a hand in a dismissive manner, he added, "It is safe to leave me here in my pain."

"Life IS pain. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something," Lucy stated.

For some reason, Apollo thought that was funny. Throwing his head back he belted out a hearty blast of laughter. "OH, you are so right!" Apollo agreed as he chuckled. "Perhaps you do have some wisdom after all."

"If you are not here to bother people, why did you come?" Lucy asked in a hard tone.

Apollo looked at her. Another young woman, too young to know the dangers of what this great plan of Aono's would bring. "Tell me, your Highness, what do you plan to do when this project falls apart, and the killing begins? Who will be the bully when masses of humans and Yokai slaughter each other? Have you ever seen the gore of mangled bodies? Not one or two, but enough to make the ground turn red?"

Lucy's face became a mask. Coming closer, she said, "I have torn people to bits. I have dealt death fast and indiscriminately. I killed soldiers en-mass as they watched their bullets fall down in front of me. Many babies of my kind, killed just for being like me. Young girls like Nana be subject to brutal tortures. Yes, I've seen the worst. I've lived it." Stopping before him, Lucy glared down on Apollo. "I have seen and done horrendous things because humans were afraid. In my case, rightly so. I have also seen greater kindness from humans like Kouta, more than I could ever deserve. I was the monster that everyone feared. Yet, Kouta loves me."

Apollo stared at Lucy, having no doubt she was telling the truth.

"And do you know WHY I do not kill ever human that I see here?" Lucy asked in a hard tone. "Because Kouta is so kind to me. Because Tsukune, Moka, Ruby and the others have showed me that life does not have to be one continuous battle. They showed me we can get along, live and let live. They showed me a place where I can have children, and those children can grow up happy and not be killed or tormented by heartless bullies like I had to endure. And if you think for one moment that I will let you do anything to those who are trying to stop the fear and hate once and for all, you are sadly mistaken."

Apollo had assumed that this young queen was young and inexperienced. From what she was saying, she'd been fighting her whole life. "Do you really think Aono can stop the hatred?" he asked.

Lucy let out a snort and said, "I can't see the future, and neither can you. I do know he is our best hope."

"I have tried before what Aono is doing, and it lead to ruin," Apollo stated.

"With the way you try to bully people and will not listen to them, I am not surprised," Lucy retorted.

"What makes you think Aono can do what I can't?"

Lucy cast him a smirk. "Tsukune has the same kindness as my Kouta. If Kouta can stop me from killing every human I see, I am sure that Tsukune can bring about peace between the races," she said. Looking back over her shoulder at the dock area where people were having fun, she asked, "Are you going to leave them alone?"

Another figure came running. As she got closer, Apollo saw it was the younger girl, Nana. Lucy turned to her and said, "Nana, stay back."

Wearing a look of fright, Nana asked, "You're not going to fight again, are you? Nana hates fighting."

"We're not going to fight," Apollo assured her.

Nana blinked at Apollo. "You look sad," she stated.

"Very observant," Apollo said. Hearing her innocent question, he managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Nana knows what to do!" Nana announced, and ran off.

"It's safe to leave you here?" Lucy asked.

Apollo eyed her. "Yes. I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone."

Lucy turned and walked back the the dock area. The area where humans and Yokai were getting along with each other, much to Apollos' bewilderment. Lucy had no more than walked out of his vision when Nana came running back, holding an ice cream cone in each hand. Coming up to sit beside him, Nana thrust one of the cones at him.

"Nana knows how to get rid of sadness. Eat ice cream with Nana," she stated.

That serious look on Nana's face made Apollo crack a grin. He honestly wished that ice cream could make everything all better. "Thank you child, but..."

"But nothing!" Nana said firmly. "Nana doesn't like people to be sad. Sad people become angry, then they fight. Nana doesn't like fighting, so eat ice cream with Nana."

Her demand was so ridiculous, so innocent, and it warmed Apollo's heart. Apollo took the ice cream cone. "Thank you, Lady Nana," he said sincerely.

Nana bobbed her head in a nod.

They sat licking their cones for a while. Apollo asked, "Dare I ask if ice cream can help Queen Lucy get into a better mood?"

Nana frowned. "No," she mussed, "Lucy likes baths, and tickling me and Mayu. Lucy isn't a Queen either, that's just what those men who held us called her."

"Those men, they are holding others like you?"

Nana's frown became deeper as she said, "Not any more. Everyone from there is dead except for Nana, Mariko, Lucy and Papa. That was why Papa brought us to his house."

"No others of your kind survived? No humans?" Apollo asked.

Nana turned her frown to him. "Nana just said that! And you are ruining the ice cream mood! We have a good home now, so no more unhappy thoughts while we're eating ice cream," she said sternly.

"My apologies," Apollo said automatically. He began to think about the three girls left from an entire race. Only three of them, and all those humans. He feared to ask how many had died. Even as he thought these things, Nana started talking about how pretty the sun looked as it reflected off the water. He gazed at the girl who'd been through the horror of what had to be a terrible war, yet she was focusing on the pleasant things in life.

Apollo broke down and cried. As he did, a small pair of arms wrapped around him. He hugged Nana back and let his grief flow.


	10. Chapter 10

Capu 4 ch 10 **OH MY GOD**

Tsukune was surprised to find Ruby at the front door with Chris Tappan, bag in hand.

"We need to talk, and Miss Tappan needs a room," Ruby said.

Takio, one of the 'harem', had come to announce Ruby's arrival. Tsukune knew her shift was almost up. He'd followed her down to greet Ruby so Takio could leave for the day. He wasn't expecting a guest. "Takio, before you leave could you show Miss Tappan to the guest quarters?" he asked.

"Yes, M'Lord," Takio said with a bow and held her hand out to Chris. Chris bowed deeply to Tsukune, then went with Takio. Once they were on their way, Tsukune motioned Ruby to the sitting room.

"Why did you bring her here?" Tsukune asked as they settled down in chairs.

Ruby pursed her lips to collect her thoughts. "Because our house is already full, and I cannot put her in the dorms," she said. "You see, Chris ... has male parts."

"Oh," Tsukune said slowly. "So Chris is really a guy? Put him in the boy's dorm then."

Ruby shook her head and said, "You don't understand. Chris is a girl. Males will catch her scent."

Tsukune raised an eyebrow at her. "You just said Chris is a boy."

"And a girl," Ruby said.

"Huh? She ... I mean, Chris can't be both," Tsukune complained.

Slowly, Ruby clasped her hands and explained. "It is very rare, but Chris is a hermaphrodite, carrying both fully functional male and female genitalia. From what I've learned from Chris, that has caused many problems. Chris has been treated less than kind by others. Everything from being called a freak, to abusive and even violent attacks. Chris also is a witch. With the religious upbringing Chris has had, Chris views witchcraft as evil, so she insists that she cannot be a witch because God has accepted her."

Tsukune didn't know how to respond to that. "Have you gotten her to talk besides singing and prayers?" he asked hoping for some good news.

"I have, but once she realized I used a spell, she has been fighting it." Putting a hand to the side of her head in frustration, Ruby said, "From what I can tell, Chris is smart, and yes, Chris does have power, but it is uncontrolled. She first insisted I was an angel. After I convinced her I was a witch... things almost got ugly. She stopped short of attacking me and started crying out for you. I promised her I would bring her to you to calm her down."

"Why me?"

Ruby locked her eyes on Tsukune and said, "Chris sees you as God."

"What? Me ... God?" Tsukune asked wide-eyed.

"Chris told me she can sense yokai energy. Only to Chris, it's holy energy," Ruby explained. "To her, you are the great and powerful God All Mighty."

Tsukune stared at her. "That's not even funny," he said.

"Well that is how she sees you," Ruby said with a shrug.

Tsukune shook his head, "No ... no way, we have to set her straight right now!"

"You can't!" Ruby insisted. "All Chris knows is religion. Chris is only behaving now because you are God. If you destroy that illusion, it will most likely destroy Chris. As I said, Chris does have uncontrolled power. If Chris becomes very upset we may have to do something harsh to stop her. We might even have to kill Chris. You cannot just come out and tell Chris you are not god."

"Then what am I suppose to do?" Tsukune cried as he flailed his arms out. "I can't have someone running around telling people I'm God!"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe if you break it to her slowly. And I mean very slowly, you can get Chris to accept what is real."

"How do I do that?"

"Lie to her," Ruby stated. "We've lied to people before. You lied to your parents. They didn't know you'd become a vampire until you had no choice but to tell them."

Flopping back, Tsukune dry washed his face. "I don't believe this," he moaned.

"Chris is in desperate need of help. Help only you can give," Ruby said firmly.

Tsukune didn't like lying, especially about something like this. He wondered briefly if lightning was going to strike him down for pretending to be God to this girl ... guy ... whatever Chris was! From what he could see, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "OK," he said with a heavy breath.

"Lord Aono, Miss Tappan would like to speak with you," Takio said from the doorway.

Tsukune gave Ruby a lost look. "Would you please send her in?" he asked Takio.

"Yes, M'Lord."

"Then that will be all today. Thank you." To Ruby, Tsukune said in an unhappy tone, "If you wouldn't mind, could you stay so we can fabricate this lie together?"

"Of course, M'Lord," Ruby said with a grin.

"It's not funny," Tsukune reminded her.

Chris came in a short while later and immediately dropped to her knees, hands clasped together. Before she could start a prayer or a song dedicated to him, Tsukune went over to her and clasped his hands over hers. "Chris, we need to speak. Come over here and sit, please," he said gently.

Tsukune got Chris into the chair beside his. "You need to listen to me carefully, can you do that?" he asked.

Chris nodded vigorously, eager to hear words straight from God's mouth.

Tsukune then explained his 'cover story' to her. "Chris, here my name is Aono Tsukune. No matter what you know, you MUST call me Lord Aono, or around the house here, Tsukune. It is very important we keep our ... true identities secret." He then fed the poor child lies about who everyone else was and what to call them to keep people from finding out who they really were.

Ruby herself was happy to hear that she was an undercover angel.

.

Kurumu came flying home from band practice. Their new manager, who used to be that other woman's manager before the she was fired in a screaming fit, was an energetic woman by the name of Iwasaka Kata. Miss Iwasaka was already distributing their recordings to all the major radio stations in Japan, got them a record contract and had another 'opener' concert scheduled in Komatsu for the early fall, and another two weeks later in Kamakura.

At first, Kurumu wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of not being close enough to home to see their babies every day. The rest of the band members were excited, and through Miss Iwasaka's enthusiasm -and valid point that she could help take care of her family financially - was why Kurumu agreed to the concert. It would be hard for her to be away from her family, but since it was for their benefit, she agreed to it, so long as it was all right with Tsukune.

Gliding down over the house, Kurumu came in for a landing just over the second floor balcony railing. Folding her wings as she dropped down to run inside, she called, "Tsukune, I have the BEST news!" Coming to a halt she scooped up Kumiko and gave her a kiss. Akemi cried for attention, so Kurumu scooped her up too.

"How are my sweeties today?" Kurumu asked the babies. Seeing Tsukune appear with a blonde girl trailing after him, Kurumu cast him a smirk as she said, "I'd hug you, but my arms are full."

Then let me do the honors." Tsukune gave her a loose hug and a kiss.

"Another angel, and cherubs," Chris said happily.

Kurumu stared at her, then beamed her a smile. "Oh isn't that sweet!" she said happily.

Tsukune cleared his throat. "No Chris, this is Kurumu, my wife, and these are my children, Akemi and Kumiko," he explained.

Chris cast Tsukune a confused look, then nodded knowingly. "Oh, right. I forgot, I'm sorry." She then looked behind her and asked, "But I thought The ... I mean, Moka was your wife?"

"I have two wives. You have to remember that," Tsukune coaxed.

"I won't forget," Chris assured him.

Kurumu noted something odd. While Chirs seemed to be a girl she couldn't help noticing a very male feeling of lust coming from Chris as the girl eyed her. "Tsukune? Who is ... this?" Kurumu almost said 'she', but with the feelings Kurumu was getting, this was some cross-dressing boy.

"This is Chris, she will be staying with us for a while," Tsukune said quickly.

"Greetings, Chris," Kurumu said pleasantly.

Chris bowed to Kurumu while sweeping her body with her eyes. Chris then asked, "Are you really Lilith?"

"This is Kurumu," Tsukune told Chris.

"Who's Lilith?" Kurumu asked as she eyed Tsukune suspiciously.

Eager to show her knowledge, Chris said, "Lilith was Adam's first wife that God sent to him, but she was really a succubus, and Adam rejected her."

"Very good, Chris!" Tsukune said quickly before Kurumu could say anything. Smiling at her, he asked, "Could you please tell Yukari it's almost time for dinner? You remember who she is, right?"

Chris nodded and ran off.

"Who's Adam? And why does he have against Succubi?" Kurumu asked, puzzled by the conversation.

Tsukune left out a huff and said, "OK, hon, bear with me for a moment..."

.

"NANA!"

Nana looked up. "I'm being called," she said. Hopping down, she stood in front of Apollo who had quieted his crying. Holding his face in her hands, Nana looked at him seriously and said, "Nana has to go now, but if you need a friend, or feel really sad again, you come see me and we'll eat ice cream again. No more fighting, OK?"

Apollo couldn't help but gently caress her face. "Such a pure, sweet child," he whispered.

Nana offered him a smile. "I have to go now, see you later," she said happily. With a wave, she ran off with a yell of, "COMING!"

Apollo watched the child go. As he did, suddenly the school at Witch Hill made perfect sense. He'd heard about the backlash from his attack on Witch Hill. The media had focused on one thing, how the students had banded together, no matter what they were. Their school song. The public memorial to the Yokai who'd died saving a girl's life. Even Lucy, for how caustic she was, was being swayed not by any laws or decrees, but by living and learning in a school environment. Aono wasn't trying to make adults see reason, he was teaching their kids to get along. Once the children were taught to live together, they would grow up and teach their children to relish differences, not despise them.

It was a stroke of genius.

.

The undercover policeman that had been watching Mr. Kayanaka's gang finally had a good report to submit. He finally had names not only of those Yakuza, but also of a rival gang that had sent that kid to spy on them. He left his 'homeless' box in the usual way. Going down a back alley, he came out on another street and began pestering people until he got picked up and taken to a station by a patrol. Once there, he was released at the main desk, and went to his own desk to type up his report, complete with pictures.

Satisfied they had enough names to begin checking other records, he turned his report in, and waited for the Captain to review it.

"Furuta, get in here!" the Captain bellowed.

Furuta went into the Captain's office, noting the sour look on the man's face. "Sir?" he asked.

The Captain eyed him. Reaching over, he turned his shredder on. "I'm doing you a favor," the Captain grated, and shredded his report.

Furuta's jaw dropped, "But, Captain ..."

"Shut up, and sit down."

Once Furuta did, the Captain eyed him angrily. "Don't watch many movies, do you?" he asked.

"No Sir, I am focused on my job. Why did you do that?" Furuta complained. "I have good info from that kid, and pictures."

"The kid huh? His name was..."

"Strange name, Kint. Said his friends call him Verbal."

"Right, and who did he work for?"

"A man named Kaizer Soze."

Holding up a picture of a man carrying a briefcase into the cafe, the Captain asked, "Who's this?"

"Mr. Kobayashi. The kid knows who he is, a lawyer I suspect works for Soze."

The Captain slapped the picture face down and wrote on the back. As he wrote, the Captain said, "Pick up this movie. Watch it, then tell me what was wrong with your report." He slid the picture over to him.

"The kid lied to me?"

"If this was the old days, you'd be forced to commit Sepuuku out of embarrassment," the Captain stated.

*** Note : Sepuuku is Hari-Kari (Gutting yourself)**

Flustered, Furuta said, "Sir, let me drag that kid in here and get to the bottom of this."

Sporting a humorless grin, the Captain said, "My guess is, you'll never hear from him again."

.

In a convent on a remote mountain in New Zealand, Angela put her bags down by her plain bed. Getting out of her traveling clothes, she washed up and re-clipped her short gray hair.

It had been nice to go visit the missions in South America and see the sights of the jungles and give words of encouragement to the priests and sisters there, as well as break bread with the locals. It also was wonderful to see the Mayans were re-learning their language and history that had been taken away from them so long ago by the Spanish. Better yet, it seemed all had gone well in her absence. The report from Sister Collin was uplifting.

Nothing was broken, no walls had fallen down, no windows or ceilings exploded in her absence.

Angela put on the white and gold habit marking her as Mother Superior. With a quick listen to be sure no one was near, she reached her hand out toward her small desk where her rosary beads lay. The beads flew across the room and into her hand. She smiled at her small piece of mischief. One of the tiny bits of decatance she allowed herself. It was these bits that allowed her to retain control over Miss Tappan when she had her 'moments'. Coaxing her calm, assuring her everything was all right with just a touch of the Gift.

Ever since Chris had come here when she was only a toddler, Angela cared for her. For safety's sake, Angela made sure that Chris was known as a girl. As a boy, Chris would have been sent to a monastery, and the thought of Chris having no one to guide her or calm her fits was just too disturbing to think about. Angela understood Chris' difficulties all too well. Chris had the Gift, or if some were to be believed, the Curse. Angela took the stand that how one used their power, determined if it was a gift or curse.

Everyone here knew something wasn't right with Chris, and a few made matters worse. Obviously, Chris would not bathe with the other girls, and took some harassment for it. The worst being when a couple less than pure girls had seen her naked, and later cornered Chris in the garden shed. They had chided and threw things at her until she screamed. When her scream sounded out, the roof came off the shed quite suddenly, throwing boards and roofing all over. Angela had seen what happened, and rushed into the falling down structure to calm Chris down. Later, she let those girls firmly know that it was God's anger at what they had done, that caused the explosion. Thankfully, the girls believed her. She made girls to apologize, then sent them in for fifty 'Hail Marys', and extra cleaning chores.

Angela went out to her office and picked up the two months worth of mail that had been waiting for her.

"Mother Superior, it is good to see you returned safe and sound," Sister Bennet said happily as she came in.

"Thank you, Sister. It is good to be home," Angela replied with a smile. Leafing through her letters, she saw one that had Chris' handwriting. Staring at it, she checked the return address, Japan.

"Where is Miss Tappan?" Angela asked, not believing what she was seeing. This couldn't be right! How did Chris get to Japan? She felt the blood drain from her face. Chris did not accept change very well. That meant trouble.

With a smile of relief, Sister Bennet said, "Father Lucia found a good home for Miss Tappen."

**"DAMN!"** Angela spat, which caused Sister Bennet to back up and gape at her. In a throaty voice, Angela said, "I want to speak with Father Lucia, _right now!_"

"Yes, Mother Superior," the Sister said, and fled the room.

Hands shaking, Angela dropped her mail except for Chris' letter. She tore it open, tossing the envelope on the floor. The single page letter was in Chris' fine script.

_Dear Mother Superior, _

_I have arrived safely in God's house. It is a bit strange, but very wonderful here! I have been blessed to meet God and a variety of Angels. I am very glad I took my bible studies seriously, for some Angels I can recognize. The Christmas Angel is real! I watched her make ice on the pool so she could swim in it, and she made it snow for me. I can see without a doubt that we are all God's creatures, and God loves us all. Remember the Genesis story of how God gave Lilith to Adam first? She's here! I have no idea why Adam rejected her, she is so pretty! I also saw the Holy Mother, she has pink hair. Some I don't know who they are. Others, I can tell by their feel who they are. The Angel of Death is a woman with pink hair and horns. Lucifer came to talk to God. I knew it was him by the evil I could feel coming off him. He was polite, but seemed unhappy. I suppose I would be too if God cast me down. Gabriel was also here, he has the light blonde hair, flowing robes and is very handsome, though I don't think he and the Angel of Death get along very well. _

_School is starting soon, and the Angel Ruby has put me in a class and provided a uniform for me. My room is truly magnificent, as you would expect in God's house. The bed is big enough put half the choir in! I have my own bath, so I can bathe in peace and not have to worry about someone seeing me. A servant does all my laundry, wakes me in the morning, and comes to get me for meals. I feel so special living here._

_I have begun to study for school. That and playing with the cherubs is all I really have to do. The little Angel, Yukari, told me we will have to study other things when I am ready. _

"Drugs," Angela muttered as she stopped reading. Father Lucia had taken Chris to some hospital where they pumped her full of drugs, making her hallucinate. Chris was seeing figures from the bible instead of whoever was really around her. They were drugging that poor child!

Livid in rage, Angela had the sense to snap up the envelope and see where it had come from. The place was called Witch Hill. Very ironic, but still, it confirmed to her that the place was an asylum.

She stormed off to give Father Lucia a piece of her mind and get Chris back home

Striding across the compound, Angela went into the Priests office building with the door opening before her. The father's door was open, he was on the phone with someone. Angela shut the door behind her as she glared at him.

Wearing a surprised look, Father Lucia held up a finger for her to wait and said, "Yes, that will be.." He stopped speaking as the phone yanked itself out of his hand and slammed down on the desk. As he stared at the unruly phone, Angela tossed the letter down.

"Explain this! What did you do with Chris Tappan?" she snapped.

Father Lucia eyed her, then the phone. He picked up the letter and scanned over it. Setting it back down he drew a breath and said, "I did what needed to be done. Those people can take care of her."

"Did you read that? They are drugging her out of her mind!" Angela cried.

"The child is possessed!" Father Lucia snapped back. "Mother Superior, we called in an exorcist to deal with the evil within her..."

"You, Imbecile!" Angela roared. "Chris doesn't need an exorcist, she needs love and support! Grant me an airline ticket to Japan. I'm going to bring Chris back before something disastrous happens! You are endangering her life, and possibly others."

"We cannot have her here, these people know how to deal with her kind," Father Lucia insisted.

"And just WHAT is her kind?" Angela asked in a caustic tone. If he said anything about being a freak, or 'creepy', she was going to put him through a wall.

Glaring back at her, Father Lucia stated, "That girl is not human! I don't know what she is, but that Aono guy knows how to take care of ... inhumans. Mother Superior, Chris Tappan is out of our hands."

Angela's whole body shook as she worked to contain her rage. "And who is this Aono? What makes him so capable to take care of a confused girl such as Chris? Read that letter, they have her filled up with some pretty strong drugs. How can you tell me the way to care for someone, is to put them away in la-la land for the rest of their life?"

"I am sure there is another explanation."

"Read the damn letter!" Angela growled.

Father Lucia let out a huff and shook his head. Sternly, he said, "Mother Superior, you are obviously very distressed. I know you were close to that girl, and I'm sorry, but we cannot deal with her. I would suggest you spend some time in prayer to collect yourself."

Angela looked down on Father Lucia and a sly grin crossed her face. "Yes," she agreed, "Suggestion is a very good idea."

.

Two hours later, Angela was back in traveling clothes and waiting at the airport for her flight to Japan. She had even 'suggested' to Father Lucia for two return tickets and some money to live on.


	11. Chapter 11

Capu 4 CH 11 **Angels and Demons**

Kyoko rode the bus up to Witch Hill with only one other person. The gray haired lady across from her sat up straight, and bore a look of determination about her. Dressed in a simple suit dark and long skirt, Kyoko thought that maybe she was coming about a teaching job.

Seeing they had passed the last stop before Witch Hill, Kyoko decided to strike up a conversation. "Going up to the hill?" Kyoko asked.

The woman smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, dear. I am visiting. Would you happen to know where the asylum is?"

Kyoko frowned at her and said, "There is no asylum. It's a school."

"A medical school?" the woman guessed.

"No a high school and a prep college. Who are you visiting?" Kyoko asked with a tip of her head.

"I am looking for someone named Aono. Do you know them?"

"I'm Aono Kyoko. Are you looking for my cousin, Tsukune?"

The woman took a second, then asked, "Does your cousin run a mental hospital?"

"No," Kyoko said with a snort. "But at times, I swear his house is one." With a roll of her eyes she said, "It gets crazy around there from time to time." Seeing the woman was not in good humor, she asked, "So, what did you want to see Tsukune about?"

"Have you heard of a Chris Tappen living up there?"

Kyoko brightened up. "Oh, Chris! Yes, she's a great girl. A little strange, but on the hill, that's kinda expected. Are you a relative of hers?"

"I was her guardian for many years," the woman said. "How is Chris doing?"

"Chris is fine, she's started school, junior high. She was really nervous at first. I took her around to meet the teachers. I'm going to be a teacher here myself next year," Kyoko said brightly.

The woman nodded. "And what drugs are used to control these students," she asked as she bore her gaze into Kyoko.

"Drugs?" Kyoko asked, confused. "No one is being given drugs."

In a firm voice that reminded Kyoko of a school teacher, the woman said, "I received a letter from Chris that leads me to believe that the things she has been seeing are not real. Hence, my concern that she is being given drugs to maintain control of her."

Kyoko gapped at her, then realized what the woman must be talking about. "Chris said she saw yokai?" she guessed.

"What are yokai?"

"You know, monsters. Things like demons, vampires, stuff like that."

The woman let out a dry chuckle. "Just as unbelievable, but yes, Chris wrote to me that she was seeing things that could not possibly be there."

"Umm, Miss..."

"Angela, please."

Slowly, Kyoko asked, "Miss Angela, what do you know about Witch Hill?"

"Just the location, and the fact Chris is here."

Kyoko went over and sat beside her. Patiently, she said, "Chris isn't imagining anything. It's all real. Witch Hill is a school for monsters."

Angela's face screwed up. "OH, hogwash! Young Lady, if you wish to converse, please stick to reality. Are you seriously trying to tell me there are vampires up on Witch Hill?"

"My cousin is one, so is his wife, Moka."

The bus was slowing down to stop at the gate. Angela glared at Kyoko and stated, "Child, I shall not be toyed with!"

The bus stopped and the gate guard popped his head in. "Kyoko-san, hi!"

"Hi Ken," Kyoko waved back at the man in the guard uniform.

Angela glanced at the guard, then did a double take. Yes, she saw a human man in a security guard uniform. She also saw the shade of what looked to be a man sized lizard.

"Coming to the lake party this weekend?" Ken asked.

"Sorry, Ken. I'll be busy with work," Kyoko said with a pout.

"Hey, maybe next time. Have a good day, Kyoko," the guard said with a wave, then stepped off the bus.

Angela gapped at the guard returning to his post as they drove on past. "What was that?" she asked breathlessly.

"His name is Ken, we went to school together here. His family moved up by the lake, his uncle runs a flower shop up there. Nice family," Kyoko explained.

Angela turned to Kyoko. "What is he?"

Kyoko winced. "I forget the name of his species. Doesn't matter though, he's a nice guy. Ken and Ichi did their best to look out for me after my boyfriend died." Cracking a grin, she added, "I couldn't go anywhere without them checking up on me. It's nice to have friends who look out for you."

"You know he's not human," Angela stated, shocked that this girl did not think anything of having a man sized lizard as a friend. "And you aren't afraid of him?"

"Afraid of Ken?" Kyoko asked as she scrunched up her face. "OH, please! Ken wouldn't hurt anyone. IF I was going to be afraid of anyone, it would have been that Apollo." Her face firming up as she stared at nothing, Kyoko added, "And I sure a hell won't back down to that bully! He was suppose to be the all-powerful Harbringer, but we showed _him_ not to screw with Witch Hill!"

Angela knew what the Harbringer was. The unstoppable Wrath of God. "You defeated the Harbringer?" she asked in disbelief.

"Not me personally," Kyoko said with a shrug. "I only put a steel bolt through his chest, for all the good THAT did. Lucy and Moka did the most to keep him busy until Tsukune got into the fight. They kicked his ass," she finished with a look of pride.

"And what is Tsukune?" Angla asked weakly.

"He's a vampire," Kyoko said off hand. Letting out a snort, she said, "It's almost funny, how he got turned was from making out with Moka. He tasted some of her blood by accident. That was an interesting weekend, I have to say."

The bus stopped. Kyoko got up and picked up a large store bag. Outside, Angela could sense something ... powerful. She got up to see someone waiting at the bus stop. Although all she saw was a young man, she felt an incredible force radiating from him.

Kyoko got to the front of the bus. "Hi Tukkie, someone's here to see you," she said, then got off to exchange hugs with the man.

Angela walked stiffly to the front. If it wasn't Chris in danger, she would have ran to the back of the bus and pleaded for the driver to go. Gathering her nerve, she stepped down to face this ... vampire. "Tsukune Aono?" she asked with a dry throat.

"I am Aono Tsukune," he said pleasantly with a bow. He offered his hand to help her off the last step.

"I need to find Chris Tappan. I am her Mother Superior," Angela got out.

Tsukune's face brightened as he said, "Ah, so you're Mother Superior! I am so happy to meet you! Chris is a nice person, but I really need your help with a few things. Chris is very ... confused."

To Angela's shock, Kyoko, a human girl, slapped this powerful being on the shoulder. "Tukkie, how are you doing? Need a nip?" she asked quietly.

Tsukune winced. "I'm fine, Kyo."

"You sure? You know what happens if you get too hungry."

"I said I was fine," he replied and took her bags.

"Just be careful," Kyoko warned.

"I will," Tsukune said, frowning at her. To Angela he asked, "Mother, may I carry your bags?"

Angela nodded vacantly and let Tsukune load himself down with luggage. This close to him, the emanations of power surrounded her. It was all she could feel. The life force from Kyoko was drowned out as a single candle would be lost in the harsh glare of a spotlight. As they walked to the house, which was big enough to be a convent all by itself, Tsukune sheepishly explained his problem with Chris.

Angela listened to Tsukune's, or rather Chris' problem. With this vampire right here, and what he was telling her, the letter from Chris now made perfect sense.

.

Once inside the cavernous foyer, Kyoko headed up a long, curved set of stairs with Tsukune to give the children their new clothes she'd bought for them. A maid by the name of Yuki showed Angela to her room. Walking down the gothic style hallway, Angela remembered to ask, "Miss, may I see Chris' room?"

"This way," Yuki said. A couple doors farther, Yuki opened the door to a grand bedroom.

"Please do not disturb Miss Tappan's things, M'Lady," Yuki said.

Angela nodded and went in. Chris had been right, the bed with the tall, polished wooden posts had to be nine feet to a side. Besides the bed that Angela was sure would fit most of the choir on, there was a desk and chair, a separate dressing table that bore a large mirror, a large free standing closet with a set of double doors. Another open door showed a bath directly off the bedroom. The room was immaculate. By the dressing table, a light blouse and skirt hung on a stand over a pair of slip-on shoes.

"And she keeps her room clean," Angela noted.

Yuki giggled and said, "We keep Miss Tappan's room clean. She usually hits the hamper when she tosses her clothes in. May I show you to your room, M'Lady?"

"Yes, please," Angela said, taking in the finery. For all she feared, it was apparent that Chris was being treated better than she ever had before in her life. Good for her. "Where is Miss Tappen now?" she asked.

"School, M'Lady. She will be bringing a few friends over. They adore the pool," Yuki explained.

After settling into her own room that was fit for a King, Angela followed Yuki through this castle to a grand patio that faced the schools farther down the hill. On the upper terrace above the pool level, Tsukune sat with a pink haired woman who also radiated power.

Tsukune stood and introduced Moka to Angela. As with the guard at the front gate, Angela could see there was more to Moka that what was seen with the eyes. As if hiding behind the large rosary on Moka's chest, Angela could sense a red-eyed, silver haired monster. That was the only thing she could think of to describe the hidden woman. The woman before her was polite and kind. She was sure the beast within was nothing of the sort.

Far off down the hill, a bell tolled.

"School's out," Tsukune noted.

With a grin, Moka said, "Prepare for the onslaught." Turning to Yuki, she said, "Chris is bringing home friends. Ready for the invasion?"

Yuki cracked a grin and clenched her fist to announce, "We're ready, M'Lady!"

"Excuse me, but that school is for monsters?" Angela asked as she noted the tiny figures pouring out.

"It's for everyone," Tsukune said. "It so happens yokai do go there, as do human students."

"I never believed there were monsters, let alone enough to have a school," Angela said.

"Uh oh, it's a race," Moka noted, pointing downhill.

On the path that went from the back of the school, uphill and off to the right, small figures were coming. One was running on two legs, one on four, and some were flying. Angela had seen this type of thing in a horror movie once.

Angela watched as the loose pack turned and headed straight for them. A centaur galloped full steam with a girl on his back. On his torso, he still wore his white shirt and black school jacket trimmed in silver. Above him, a purple haired girl flew as if by magic, followed closely by a blonde girl. Angela recognized Chris, bounding in long leaps, Using the Gift, Chris jumped fifteen to twenty meters at a time, trying desperately to keep up.

A clap of hands sounded behind Angela. "Girls, we're going to need towels," a maid announced.

The blone girl flew ahead and came down to land on the terrace beside the pool. "I WIN!" she cried as the purple haired girl landed beside her. The centaur vaulted the stone railing, and skidded to a stop, just short of the pool. The dark haired girl on his back clung tightly to him. Chris took her last leap, face set on concentration. She cleared the rail, and the terrace. Her eyes opened wide as she dropped toward the center of the pool with a scream.

The purple haired girl shot up and caught Chris before she landed and carried her to the other side.

"Nice save, Nana!" the centaur called.

What impressed Angela the most, was every one of them still held their book bags. Chris and Nana trotted up to the upper terrace. Chris then saw Angela. Her face opened up in joy as she called, "Mother Superior!", and ran to her.

Angela got up in time to meet the impact and hug.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Chris cried.

Nana eyed Angela, then with a broad smile, she said, "Aww wow! A Superior Mother! Can you teach Yuka how to do that?"

"Hello, Chris," Angela said as she petted her hair. "How are you doing?"

Pulling back, Chris beamed Angela her best smile. "This place is wonderful! I have friends here. Real friends!" Pointing, she said in a run, "This is Nana, that girl is Mariko, Mayu is on Flavio over there .. and there's a whole bunch more at school. Yukari is teaching me how ... to do things, she's my age, but she's a genius! She teaches our crafts class. We're going to have a football team. Right now we're practicing, but it looks like I'm going to make it on the team."

Flavio clomped up and bowed. "Greetings, Lord Aono, Lady Aono, Lady Superior. Thank you for letting us come over."

"You are quite welcome," Moka replied.

"All right kids," Suki said firmly. "Follow me. Homework first, then you can play. Flavio, please go to the changing room _before_ you return to your human state."

A chorus of, "Yes, Ma'am's" sounded.

Mariko went up to Tsukune and asked, "Is Ku-Mama home yet?"

"No, Mariko. She is working late today," Tsukune said apologetically.

"OH darn. I wanted to go plant monster smashing," she said in a huff, and followed the group inside.

"Plant Monsters?" Angela asked.

"One of Ruby's defenses. Large carnivorous plants. They work well, but tend to spread. Kurumu and Mariko have the job of going out and trimming them back to keep them away from the areas we don't want them in," Tsukune explained.

"We've had enough trouble that we learned to keep close watch who we let in, and everyone else out," Moka explained.

"But if a child can destroy them, then how effective are they?" Angela asked. She'd given up on any reasonable thoughts. Reality here had flown out the window.

"Mariko would be in danger is she attempted to kill them by herself. That is why Kurumu goes with her," Moka explained.

.

Angela talked with these strange beings, telling them about how she had returned to find Chris gone. They also had a good chuckle over Angela's reaction to the letter. They knew of Chris' dual-sexuality, but were not bothered by it. Their biggest concern all around was the fact Chris was seeing Tsukune as God. Although Angela could now see why Chris believed that, she also saw this as heresy, to which Tsukune agreed heartily. These people were very strange, but from what Angela could tell, they were decent enough.

Kyoko took 'life guard' duty as the kids took to the pool. Angela enjoyed the sight of Chris laughing and playing. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen such a big smile on her face. The terrace was lively, near Tsukune and Moka, the babies were exploring their world, closely supervised. A grill had been set up on the other side, giving out hot snacks to wet children taking a break from the pool.

Angela got Chris to one side. Sitting down on a stone bench, Chris munched on a roll filled with marinated meat chunks. "Want some, Mother Superior? These are really good," she said as she held up her roll.

"No thank you. We need to talk about the people here. Chris, dear, do you know who they are?" Angela asked.

Chris bobbed her head. "I sure do." In a conspiratory tone, she said, "He told me He was Lord Aono, or Tsukune. Beside him there is Moka, she's one of his wives. The other one is Kurumu, but Mariko and Nana call her Ku-Mama. ..." she then named off everyone she'd met.

Angela listened, then said, "Chris, I know they are very powerful. You can see that too, can't you? But Lord Aono is not God. He is of a race called vampire, just as Lady Moka is."

Chris took the news with a bite of her sandwich as she cast Angela a smirk.

"Normal humans you can barely sense the life force from. Others, like us, you can feel something from a distance. Still others, radiate much energy," Angela explained. "There are many more beings that humans or angels." Even as she explained it, she could see in Chris' eyes that she wasn't believing it.

Chris swallowed her bite and said, "God does work in mysterious ways, right Mother Superior? If He says that is who they are, then we accept His word."

"Chris, Lord Aono is not God. His wives are not angels."

"That's what he told me to say too," Chris agreed.

"He is telling you the truth, child," Angela said flatly.

Chris looked up at the sky and grinned. "Mother Superior, remember I told you about Lilith? He said to call her Kurumu."

Becoming irritated, Angela said, "Dear, succubus do not exist."

Chris chuckled and pointed up. "Here she comes now."

"Ku-Mama!" Mariko called and waved.

Angela looked up. Gliding down on a pair of leathern wings, a blue haired woman with a long spaded tail waved back as she came down. There was no mistaking what this was. The demonic adornments, a face of perfect beauty and a body too sexy to be natural. No doubt about it, Angela had left reality down at the bottom of the hill.

"She is soo pretty," Chris said, gazing at Kurumu. "Come on, you have to meet her!"

Chris led Angela by the hand to meet Kurumu as Kurumu dropped down to sit in Tsukune's lap and gave him a big kiss, then leaned over to kiss Moka. Mariko ran up and jumped in Kurumu's lap, begging to go plant monster smashing.

"After I see our babies. Go get dressed, you're all wet," Kurumu told her. Mariko ran off.

"Ku-Mama, this is Mother Superior," Chris said eagerly as they approached.

Kurumu got up. "Mother Superior," she said with a bow. Seeing Chris's glazed over smile, Kurumu gave her a kiss on the forehead and asked, "How was school today?"

"Great! And the day got even better, Mother Superior is here," Chris replied with a wide smile.

"We've heard a lot about you, it is a pleasure to meet you," Kurumu said to Angela.

"It is nice to see you also, and thank you all for taking care of Chris," Angela replied. She couldn't help but wonder what Father Lucia's reaction to these people would be. He was worried about Chris. Chris was a child in more ways than one here. Angela herself had nothing more than a bit of the Gift. Small potatoes compared to any of the rest of them.

"This is quite the family you have, Lord Aono," Angela said.

"Tsukune, please. We're not what you'd call a 'normal' family, but we do OK," he said.

"Owweee!" Chris cried.

Angela turned to see Chris had picked up Akemi, and Akemi had attached herself to Chris's neck.

"Chris! I told you not to let her near your neck," Kurumu said in a scold.

Wincing, Chris said, "That's OK, she doesn't take much."

Moka got up and went over to Chris, adding her scold. "Chris, we don't want Akemi to learn that she can bite whoever she wants. Right now it can be a bad habit. Later it could get her in real trouble!"

Carefully, Moka extracted Akemi from Chris' neck. She then licked her neck, which caused Chris's face to flush red.

"Don't let her bite you again," Moka said sternly.

"I'm sorry, I won't," Chris said sheepishly.

"Ku-Mama, I'm ready!" Mariko called as she came running out in her school clothes.

Kurumu handed Kumiko back to a maid, then looked at Mariko and tapped her back. Mariko leaped up and held on. Spreading her wings, Kurumu took off as Mariko cried, "Ya-Hooo!"

Angela got to watch some Plant Monster smashing. She watched the giant Venus fly-traps gets pulled up and shredded, but didn't see what was doing it.

.

Nana noticed Chris went over to the stairs and sat down, out of sight of the adults. By the way she was walking and her grimace, she was in pain. Going over, Nana knelt in front of Chris. "What happened?" she asked.

Chris shook her head. "It's ... just sore. It happens. It will go away."

Nana noted Chris was protecting her crotch. Frowning, she said, "If someone hurt you, Nana will go yell at them!"

"No, it's not that,"Chris said weakly.

"Can Nana help?" Nana asked innocently.

Chris was in pain. When Lady Moka had licked her neck, it made her front part swell up. Packed into the front of her bathing suit, it had folded over. To hide the buldge she kept her legs together which wasn't helping in the slightest. "Noting you can do about it," Chris said with a wince. For some reason, Nana being so close to her seemed to be making it all the worse.

Nana looked around as she mussed, "Maybe cool water will help. Want Nana to put you in the pool?"

"Please, just leave me here," Chris begged. Quieter, she said, "I don't want anyone to see. I want to go to my room, but it hurts to walk."

"Then Nana will take you!" Nana said happily. Looking down the side of the building, Nana asked, "Which room is yours?"

Chris looked. "The fourth window down. That's my room."

Nana brought her vectors out. Scooping up Chris with two of them, she held Chris close, then jumped over the side railing and ran to Chris' window. Thankfully the window wasn't locked. She pushed it open with a vector then lifted them up and in. By now, Chris looked like she was in agony. Nana got Chris on her bed. Chris curled up into a fetal position.

"Owww!" Chris cried.

"Let Nana see, we have to do something!" Nana cried, and pulled the straps of her bathing suit down.

"No!" Chris cried, folding her arms over her chest. "You can't!"

Becoming teary-eyed, Nana said, "But ... Nana hates to see her friends in pain!"

Chris was terrified. She knew Nana was only thinking about her, but she remembered what happened when other girls accidentally saw her. "It will go away, honest. Please, just leave me," she begged.

Frowning at Chris through her tears, Nana said, "But you said it happened before. Maybe we can do something to stop it."

With Nana leaning over her so close, her gentle hands on Chris' body, Chris was throbbing in pain. Chris desperately wanted get her suit off, she couldn't. "Nana, I'm scared. PLEASE, leave so I can take this off."

"The swimsuit is hurting you?" Nana asked.

"Yes!"

With a look of determination, Nana said, "Nana will get it off!"

Before Chris could open her mouth, her swimsuit was ripped off her body.

Boing.

Chris gasped at the sudden release. Her arms over her chest did nothing to hide anything down below.

"Huh?" Nana asked as she stared wide-eyed at Chris' groin.

Chris turned red and cried, "Please don't tell anyone!"

Quietly, Nana said, "Umm, Chris? Whoever told you that you're a girl, they lied to you."

Chris sat up and grabbed Nana by the shoulders. "No one can know! Please tell me you won't let people be mean to me!"

Confused, Nana asked, "Why should they be mean just because you're a boy?" Looking down at Chris' breasts, she mussed, "Though, you're not flat like a boy."

"Nana, I don't want to be picked on," Chris pleaded.

"You are Nana's friend, Nana won't let that happen!" Nana said firmly.

Chris gazed at her and asked, "You don't think I'm a freak?"

Nana shrugged. "I have horns, do you think I'm a freak?" she asked.

Chris shook her head. "You're an angel, Nana."

Nana laughed. "Nana is no angel!" she said. Pointing to her horns, she said, "Nana's a diclonius."

The way she did it made Chris laugh. Nana laughed with her, then bounced up off the bed. "Come on, we'll get you some more clothes." Nana then paused and put a finger to her lips. "Though, we should tell Moka, so she can get you some boy clothes."

"Nana," Chris said holding onto her hand. "I ... am a girl too. No one suppose to know about my boy parts."

"OH. Well, girl clothes are hurting you, so you should wear boy clothes," Nana insisted.

"Only when it gets stiff like this," Chris pleaded, "If I wear boy clothes, people might find out."

Nana looked down. "If it's stiff and sore, maybe Nana can rub it and make it go down," she mussed, and reached down.

"Nana, wait..."

Nana grabbed a hold of Chris' erection and gently rubbed it. "Is that better?" Nana asked.

"Nana, it's getting worse!" Chris cried.

Nana could feel it was very hard now and had a pulse to it. "Maybe if Nana rubs a little harder..." Nana watched it closely. The end was almost purple.

"Nana!" Chris cried as her face turned red. A few more rubs, and her groin erupted.

"Ah!" Nana squeaked as the line of jism shot up to hit her in the eye. Clapping a hand to her face, Nana stumbled away.

"I'm sorry Nana," Chris cried. Feeling a bit dizzy, Chris stumbled after Nana and led her to the bathroom.

Chris helped Nana get to the sink as she apologized again. "Nana, I am so sorry!"

"It's all better now, right? So everything's fine." Nana replied. Grabbing a wash cloth, she cleaned herself up.

"Nana," Chris said weakly, gazing at this happy girl that was her friend. A friend that would not judge her. "Thank you," she said.

.

Dressed in a light shirt and skirt, Chris walked with Nana back out to the terrace with everyone else. On their way down the hall, Chris moved closer and clasped Nana's hand. Haltingly, she asked, "Say, Nana, would you ... I mean do you think you ... may want to stay over tonight?"

"A sleepover?" Nana asked. "That sounds fun, but it's a school night. I don't think Yuka would let me."

Chris blushed as she looked down. "Nana. I'm usually scared of letting anyone get too close to me."

Nana eyed her. "You aren't scared of Nana, are you?" she asked.

Chris squeezed her hand. "No, Nana is a good friend." Chris stopped and turned to Nana. "My best friend." she stated.

Nana cast her a bright smile. "You are my friend too! Come with me while I change, we'll go over to my house for a while, OK?"

.

"There you are," Angela noted as Chris and Nana came out, now both in clothes. "No more swimming?" she asked.

"Nope!" Nana said cheerfully as the came up to the table of adults. "I'm going to show Chris my room."

Angela noted they were holding hands.

"Is that OK, Lord Aono?" Chris asked.

Tsukune nodded, "Fine, but be back for dinner. The Shuzen's are coming so do NOT be late."

"I won't be, thank you!" Chris beamed, then ran off with Nana.

Angela watched them go, then said, "I have to wonder if it's safe letting her go like that."

"Nothing will happen to them," Tsukune assured her. "They know to stay on the paths."

"It doesn't bother you they were holding hands?" Angela asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Should it?" Moka asked.

"They are getting that age where they should be watched," Angela reminded her.

"If they are set on misbehaving, then is what they will do," Moka countered. "Chris and Nana are good girls. They will be fine."

"It's not the 'girl' I'm worried about," Angela grumbled.

.

In a worker's hall, a man gets up before the assembled crowd of common people. "Attention everyone. We have a guest speaker here who I think we should all listen to. May I introduce, Mr. Kendo."

Wearing a plain shirt and pants, Mr. Kobayashi stepped up to the microphone wearing a worried frown. "Thank you," he said with a bow to the man. For the fifth time, he turned to another crowd of common humans, and said, "The events over the past year with all these yokai around have me deeply worried." As he spoke, he added a touch of hypnotism to his voice. "Everyone has heard of the Witch Hill school where our children go to school with monsters. This may be a unique learning experience for them, possibly even fun to see strange creatures. After all, what child does not like the zoo? However, there is more going on here than the amusement of children. Those yokai also have parents. They also need to feed their families, which means they also need jobs. The Yokai who graduate at that school will need jobs. And where to they get those jobs?"

Carefully scanning the crowd, he went on, "While I do believe that every being has a right to life, they do not have a right to take what is ours. Yes, I am talking about our livelyhood. Let me clarify with an example. This new music group, The Flying Yokai. They are good, very good, and are rising faster than any other band before them. The reason they are so good is because they are yokai. It is the same with other yokai who are taking jobs in our city. These ... beings, are stronger, faster, better than the average human. That means that if they haven't already, they will be taking our jobs which in time will reduce us to poverty and leave us no way to feed our own families..."

As Mr. Kobayashi spoke, he could see people absently nodding in agreement. He didn't shout or press his points, but calmly told them how yokai were going to take over every aspect of their lives. He pleasantly noted all their faces bore the same worried frowns he was casting them.


	12. Chapter 12

Capu4 ch12 Un**godly**

Angela and Tsukune tried once more to convince Chris that Tsukune wasn't god. To reinforce what they was saying, Tsukune even took a 'nip' from Yuki. He had Chris stand so she could see his fangs pierce Yuki's neck. Holding Tsukune as tight as he was holding her, Yuki let out a satisfied sigh.

Noting how happy (and a bit wobbly-legged) Yuki was afterward, Chris asked, "Can I try it?"

Putting his hands on her shoulders, Tsukune looked at Chris squarely and said, "You see I am a vampire, right?"

Chris nodded. She thought it was funny he was going to such extreme lengths to make his cover seem real. "Yes, M'Lord," she said meekly.

By the smirk she wore, Tsukune wasn't sure she believed him yet. There was only one thing left to do. "Come sit with me." Tsukune sat down and had Chris sit sideways on his lap. Leaning her against him, he cupped her cheek and said, "I'm going to drink your blood."

"OK," Chris said, accepting what he was telling her.

Tsukune tilted her head and nuzzled her neck, then sank his fangs in.

Chris' eyes shot open. Clinging to him, she felt like he was drawing out a piece of her very soul. The tingles ran down her spine and seemed to grip her groin on the inside. She became hard, her lower belly quivered and spasmed. Her breath caught and her senses reeled. The spasms inside her belly caused pulsing orgasms of both male and female parts. Even as Tsukune pulled his fangs out and licked her neck clean, her body was still jerking in delightful spasms.

"Now, what am I?" Tsukune asked.

Lost in the dual sense stealing orgasm, Chris clung tightly to him. When she could finally draw a panting breath, she croaked, "Oh ...my ...GOD!"

Angela frowned deeply at Tsukune. Angrily she asked, "Now that you seduced her, what's next?"

.

Tsukune told Angela that Moka's family were coming for dinner and to stay the night. It would be a formal dinner -as insisted on by Lord Shuzen. Maids brought gowns for Angela to chose from, but she went with her best Habit with her gold rosary necklace and black prayer beads.

Gathering in the foyer for Lord Shuzen's imminent arrival, Angela noted some pretty fancy dress. Tsukune wore a tux, Kurumu was in a strapless light blue gown. The inner Moka has come out, her form fitting black dress and pearls were offset by her silver hair and red eyes. Her sister, Kokoa wore a frilly dark lavender gown. Chris came out in a strapless green gown with her hair done up in long curls.

To Angela, it looked like they were getting ready to go to an opera instead of a dinner at home.

Kokoa frowned at the black and white Habit Angela wore. "Are you a maid? That's not the right uniform."

"Kokoa," Moka said sternly. "That is Mother Superior, she is no maid. Apologize."

Kokoa bowed to Angela slightly. "I'm sorry you have to wear that.."

"**KOKOA! Do you need to be shown your place?**" Moka asked heavily.

With a roll of her eyes, Kokoa said, "I'm sorry," again.

Even though Moka had spoken to her sister, Angela felt the anger in those words drive through her. It was if her voice had power all by itself. She got a strong feeling it would be a very bad thing to anger silver-haired Moka.

The door cracked open. "Lord Shuzen's car has arrived," a maid said.

"In line," Moka announced. "Kurumu beside me, Kokoa next to Kurumu then Mother Superior and Chris. Suki bring the baby carriages."

The doors opened wide, showing a strech Limo just beyond the steps. Coming up the steps was a silver haired man in a black cape that also sported silver hair and an incredibly powerful aura. Following him was a platinum blonde woman in a frilly white gown.

"Welcome, Lord Shuzen," Tsukune said with a bow.

"Thank you, Lord Aono," the silver haired vampire replied with his own bow. Stepping up to Moka, he clasp her hands. "How are you, Moka dear?"

"Fine, Father. Thank you for coming," Moka replied formally.

Angela watched him greet Kurumu and Kokoa, then Lord Shuzen was standing before her. "Lady..." he began, watching her.

"Mother Superior, Lord Shuzen," Angela said quickly, realizing she'd been staring at him. She raised her hand to shake his.

Lord Shuzen took her hand and turned it palm down, then bent to kiss her knuckles. "A pleasure, M'Lady. To what may we credit the honor of your visit?"

"I came to visit Miss Tappan and speak with Lord Aono," Angela said, wondering why her visit would be of any concern to him.

"Father, Mother Superior is our guest," Moka said firmly.

"Of course, my dear Moka," Issa said with a fake smile. "Please forgive an old man for being curious."

While Lord Shuzen was being formal, the woman with him was anything but.

"Tsukkie!" Kahula cried, and hugged him as she bounced up and down. She then attacked Moka to hug her and look around the room. "This is a nice, quaint little place. Just right for playing house in!" Kahula beamed.

"Auntie!" Kahlua added as she dove at Kurumu and gave her a squeeze.

"I'm not your auntie!" Kurumu complained under the abuse.

"Hi Kokoa!"

Kokoa cringed as Kahlua scrubbed her head.

Kahlua stopped abusing Kokoa to gape at Angela. "Aww, wow. You're a nun, right?" she asked.

"Mother Superior, Miss Shuzen." Angela said.

"That looks really comfy," Kahlua said as she scanned Angela's Habit. "I bet it's like wearing a house robe, right?"

"My dress is called a Habit. It is comfortable, yes," Angela agreed with a smile. She correctly guessed that while Kahula did radiate the same tremendous amount of power like the rest of them, her brains were mush.

Kahlua then turned to Chris. Slapping her cheeks, Kahulua cried, "Ohhh, how CUTE!" Kahlua then hugged a wide-eyed Chris to her bosom. "Oh, Father, isn't she adorable! I want to take her home!"

"Kahlua! Release her," Lord Shuzen ordered.

Kahlua did, still grinning broadly at Chris as the girl stumbled back. "Hey, you wanna play with me?" Kahlua asked.

"Excuse me?" Chris asked in a squeak. Between how Nana 'cured' her, and He had ... whatever He did, she wasn't sure she wanted to be 'played with' any more today.

"You do have dolls and doll houses and tea sets and things, don't you?" Kahlua asked innocently.

Chris shook her head.

Kahlua's eyes widened. "You don't?" she cried in shock. "Moka, aren't you taking care of this child?" Kahlua cried, drawing Chris into another hug that impacted Chris's face into her chest,

Kahlua exclaimed, "You poor dear! Don't worry, Kahlua will take care of you."

"Can you let her breathe?" Angela asked as Chris' arms flailed.

"Huh? OH yes, sorry!" Kahula said happily. She released Chris suddenly. Angela caught Chris as she recoiled.

"Dinner will be served shortly," Moka announced pointedly. "Please join us while we wait."

"How long do you plan on staying?" Tsukune asked Issa as they walked to the lounge off the formal dinning room.

"This is just a short visit to see how Kokoa is adjusting to school here," Issa said off hand. "I have many other appointments, but since we were passing by, I wanted to to check on my girls."

"I'm fine Father. I can take care of myself." Kokoa stated haughtily. "So far, Tsukune is doing OK taking care of Moka, but I'm here just in case he needs help."

"It makes me proud to see you are watching out for family," Issa told Kokoa, which made her strut a bit more pronounced.

.

Lord Shuzen sat at one end of the long table, Lord Aono at the other. While Moka and Kurumu took their places to either side of Tsukune with their babies. Kokoa sat down at her father's end of the table. Chris sat between Angela and Kahlua, who was trying to feed Chris off her fork.

"Miss Shuzen, where do you live?" Chris asked to keep Kahlua's fork out of her face.

"Father's castle," Kahlua stated, and asked, "Would you like some strip steak?"

"What do you do there?" Chris asked quickly.

"I help Father," Kahlua said cheerfully. "He gives me jobs because I'm the best."

"That's nice," Chris said returning her smile. "So you do the gardening?" she asked, trying to figure out what this very beautiful but not very smart woman could handle.

Kahula giggled. "No sweetie, I'm an assassin, and I'm really good at it. Open wide."

Chris did. It wasn't until there was food in her mouth did she remember to close it. This innocent acting woman killed people? These were angels. That wasn't possible, was it? She had always thought of assassins as dark clad men who sneaked through the night with knives and guns. Not pretty women in a ballroom gowns.

Lacking the sense to do anything else, Chris stared at Kahlua as Kahlua happily fed her. Chris knew angels couldn't be assassins. So, if this woman wasn't an angel, what was she? Studying Kahlua, Chris noted she bore fangs in her mouth just like Tsukune did. In fact, they both had the same type of energy, as did Moka, her little sister and the stuffy man at the other end of the table.

Chris swallowed the bite of food and asked, "Tsukune isn't God, is he?"

Kahlua stared at her briefly, then threw her head back laughing. Chris clearly saw her fangs then. Kahlua dropped an arm across Chris' shoulders, leaning over in her mirth. The woman had to wipe tears from her eyes she was laughing so hard.

"Oh, you are so precious!" Kahlua said as she giggled. "I'm going to get you the biggest doll house I can find! Tsukune! Did you just hear what Chris said? Isn't she adorable?"

On her other side, Angela laid a hand over Chris' hand. "Stay calm, Miss Tappan. You know the truth now, don't you?" she asked evenly.

Chris looked at Mother Superior, confused, and asked, "Then, what are they?"

"You silly!" Kahlua said, still giggling. "We're all yokai here, you know that!"

"What's a yokai?"

"Monsters, dear," Angela told her.

Chris snapped her head to the giggling woman next to her. "You're monsters?" she asked.

Wrapping an arm around her middle, Kahlua giggle harder. "Oh, please stop, my sides hurt!"

"Why is that funny?" Chris asked. She had always heard monsters were things to be feared.

Calming from her laughing fit, Kahlua said, "As if you didn't know! Chris, my precious, you and your Super-Mother are a monsters too."

"What?" Chris asked weakly.

"You mean you didn't know?" Kahlua asked, frowning at her.

Chris shook her head then looked at her Mother Superior.

Angela gripped Chris' hand. Apologetically she said, "Chris, dear. I couldn't tell you because it would have endangered both of us. Please stay calm and listen, you are safe here."

"OK," Chris said.

"Chris, think hard. Have you ever seen any place in the bible where it says witches are evil?" Angela asked.

Chris thought for a moment then shook her head. "No, not from the bible," she admitted.

"That is because some people claim witches are evil, not God. Understand?" Angela coaxed.

Chris nodded.

"We can see the energy around the other people here. Normal humans can't see what we can see. Do you understand that?"

Chris nodded.

"That is because you and I are witches, dear."

Chris felt like she was going to faint. "Witches?" she asked no one in particular.

"That does not mean we are evil," Angela stressed.

Chris turned to Kahlua. "I'm a witch?" she asked.

Kahlua shrugged and said, "I don't know. All I know is you are one very cute and funny girl." She then pinched Chris playfully on the cheek.

Chris squeezed Mother Superior's hand and asked her most pressing question. "We can be good witches?"

"We ARE good witches, dear," Angela assured her.

.

Father Lucia sat with the books open, still trying to figure out how the Mother Superior got airline tickets as he went through the monthly budget. He didn't remember giving them to her, but his signature was on the authorization. At least he'd found out where the discrepancy was. The phone rang. He cringed, knowing it was the accountant. He answered it.

"Father Lucia here."

"Father? This is Chris Tappan."

He froze at the name. Collecting himself, he said, "Yes? How are you doing child?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for bringing me here. Just so you know, I'm not crazy and I'm not a demon. I know what I am now. I'm a witch. I belong here."

"That's good ... you found a place you can be happy," he said, trying to sound supportive.

"Father, if you find any more of us, please send them so they are not treated badly as I was. Lord Aono says everyone is welcome here. Hold on please, Mother Superior wants to talk to you."

"Father Lucia?"

"Yes Mother Superior, I would like to ask you ... when did I authorize your trip to Japan? I don't remember doing it."

"You won't. By the way Father, I won't be returning. There are many lost sheep here. People who desperately need guidance. Please tell all the sisters I will miss them."

Father Lucia sat up. "Mother Superior, that girl, is she really a witch? An honest to god Witch?" he asked, not believing it.

"Yes Father, and so am I. I am staying here where I am needed. I would ask you open a mission here in my name. Lord Aono has approved a small chapel for me to hold services."

"Mother Superior, I can't ... You would have to come back and fill out the request forms."

"Get them out, I'll be there in five minutes."

"But you're in Japan."

"Five minutes, Father," she said again, then hung up.

Father Lucia put the phone down. "She's gone crazy too," he muttered. Dismissing her wild claim, he sat staring at the airline authorization form. When did he sign that? He racked his brains but couldn't remember. Apparently, he'd lost his Mother Superior also. At least he wouldn't have to put up with crazy people any more.

Deciding to call it a night, he put all his paperwork back in the folders and put everything away.

"You did not get the forms out yet?"

Jumping at the sound of a voice, he turned to see Mother Superior standing on the other side of his desk. "Ahh," he cried weakly from the shock as he backed into the file cabinet.

"Did I not say five minutes?" Angela asked.

"Yes... but..."

"The forms, please."

Father Lucia got out the forms and handed them to her. "How did you get here?" he asked.

Angela just glanced at him and picked up one of his pens. Sitting down, she got to work filling them out. Father Lucia sat back down, eyeing her. He picked up his phone and checked that last number, it was an international code, very similar to the one he had used to call Japan.

"The name will be Witch Hill Mission," Angela said as she wrote. "I do not expect very many people very soon, it may take a while."

"Mother Superior, we can't afford any more plane flights to Japan," he said, thinking she needed to fly back. "Does your cell phone have a Japanese exchange?"

She glanced up at him. "I don't have a cell phone. We called from Lord Aono's house. I also won't be needing a plane ticket."

She finished the forms, got up and handed them back to him. "Please file these immediately. I have much work to do," she said.

"How are you going to get there?"

Angela cast him a grin and said, "The same way I arrived." She then turned around, took two steps and disappeared.

Father Lucia sat there for the next hour, slack jawed.

.

Early morning just a the sky was lightening into dawn, Chris awoke to the sound of someone moving around in her room. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes to see small house in the middle of her room that that it was as tall as she was, and as long as the bed. Agasint the nearest wall was a stack of boxes and wrapping. A pair of sconces were lit on the far wall, casting light through the doll house windows. A shadow moved on the other side. She saw a blond head appear over the roofline.

"Kahlua?" Chris asked.

Kahlua peeked up over the shingled roof of the doll house and beamed her a bright smile. "Good morning sweetie, I almost have all the fixtures in." she said cheerfully.

Chris got up and studied the small house. From this side, Chris could see through the miniature glass windows into the rooms. The entire house was finely detailed. There were even tiny latches on the window shutters.

"Come around here, sweetie, you can show me where you want things," Kahula called.

Studying the intricate detail of the small house, Chris walked around behind it to see there was no back wall, showing the fine details of every room. "Wow," she said quietly. Besides the house, there were boxes with furniture, dolls, and doll outfits, including tiny hangers to hang the clothes in the closets within. "Where did you get this?" she asked in wonder.

"I told you I'd get you the biggest doll house I could find," Kahlua said happily.

Chris turned to Kahlua to thank her, and gasped. Kahlua looked like she'd been in a terrible accident. Kahlua's gown was torn to shreds and she was spattered with blood. Large rips showed Kahlua's bare red-spattered stomach, one side of the top was ripped away, showing Kahlua's pink bra. Or rather pink and red stained bra. Splotches of gore covered Kahlua. "What happened to you!" Chris cried.

Kahula looked at her and blinked. "I'm not hurt," she said.

"Then why are you covered in blood?" Chris cried in shock.

Kahlua looked at herself and frowned. "You're right. I'm sorry. I should have cleaned up and put on a new dress before I started to put your doll house together." Regaining her smile she said, "But, it was so cute, I just couldn't help myself. I want to get it together right away!"

"But WHY do you look like this?" Chris asked, indicating the mess that used to be a pretty gown.

"Oh, that's not my blood," Kahlua said. "I had to do a job for Father. I didn't mean to get you upset."

"A job? You...killed someone?"

"Yes sweetie. That is what assassins do. I don't like doing it, but that is my job," Kahlua explained.

Chris dropped to her knees, trying to understand how someone so sweet could be so ruthless. "How could you do that?" she asked weakly.

Kahlua shrugged. "It's not hard. I'm stronger and faster, and my blades are sharp. The older guy, he was a vampire so he did give me a bit of trouble. He thought his speed would save him. It didn't, I was faster." Frowning, a tear came to Kahlua's eye. "That one man, he shouldn't have been there. He wanted to live for his wife and kids, but I had no choice. He was there, he had to die."

Chris saw Kahlua was really upset. "He had to?" she asked.

Kahlua nodded. "I don't like working, it make me so sad." Smiling weakly at Chris, she said, "That's why I like to play whenever I can."

The hurt look on Kahlua's face made Chris want to cry. Chris dove into Kahlua and hugged her. Pulling back, Chris forced a smile, and said, "What's this room down here?"

"This is the living room, see that little couch, it's real leather," Kahlua said, brightening up. Kneeling down together to look into the little room, they talked about how to set up the house, and what the doll's names would be.

Chris wasn't sure what to think about the doll house. She had never seen anything so extravagant. All she knew was that this woman wanted to play to take her mind off what she had to do, and Chris was going to do everything she could to cheer Kahlua up.


	13. Chapter 13

Capu4 ch13 **Sparks ignited **

Moka was alone with her children and a couple servants in the house. It was a school and work day. Not having classes herself until afternoon, Moka relished some time with their babies. Kurumu promised to be home around lunch, her interviews for the Music TV show was suppose to be done before Moka's classes began so one of them would be home.

Although it was not easy sharing Tsukune with Kurumu, Moka understood having Kurumu here was a good thing for both of them. To go to school or have a job and take care of children by herself would be nearly impossible. And although they knew each maid well, neither Moka nor Kurumu entirely trusted anyone else with their little girls.

"Lady Aono, there is a phone call from an Inspector Inoue," Suki said from the doorway. "He insists to talk to you or Lord Aono."

"Thank you Suki, I'll talk to him," Moka said. Suki brought the phone in and handed it to Moka.

"Aono Moka."

"Yes, Mrs. Aono. We would like your assistance. Are you or Mr. Aono able to come to the station?"

"Tsukune isn't home right now, he is at another school. May I ask why you want to see us?"

"Do you know a Shirayuki Mizore?"

Moka perked up at hearing the name. "Yes, we know Mizore. Has something happened?"

"She's blocked herself in one of our interrogation rooms. The ice is three feet thick, we don't know how to get to her. Our efforts trying to melt the ice have all failed."

"I'll be right there." Moka assured him. Moka then told Suki to call a cab, Tsukune, then Ruby to have someone meet her down at the front gate.

.

Moka walked into the police station with Lucy, who was still in her school uniform, right behind her. Not that Moka was expecting trouble, but if there was, Moka herself was hampered by the rosary. As soon as she announced herself at the desk, Moka was taken back to a hallway where men with hammers were pounding away uselessly at the ice that reduced the hallway width by half. The inspector made the men stop.

Pointing to the ice wall, he said, "Thank you for coming, Mrs. Aono. She's in there. That's about where the door is."

"Inspector, have your men move aside," Moka instructed.

As they did as she asked, Moka studied the wall. Loudly, she called, "Mizore? It's Moka. Can I come in please?" Moka waited, but there was no response. "Mizore! Please, let me in!" Moka called again. Nothing.

"From above?" Lucy asked.

"No," Moka mussed, "She'd make a cube. It will be less damaging to just go through the door."

"Stand back," Lucy told her.

Moka walked back to the inspector and asked, "Why is Mizore in there?"

The inspector shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, we can't talk about things under investigation."

Moka frowned at him. "Did she see something?" she said.

The inspector stayed silent.

Lucy stared at the ice wall. The wall shuddered, and blasted out to the sides, making Moka and the police shied their faces from the flying chunks and shards. Another powerful boom what reverberated through the whole station, and the wall broke. Squeezing her eyes shut against the flying ice chips, Moka waited until the pounding stopped before she peeked over her protective arm.

Lucy looked over at Moka. "We're in," she said.

"Mizore!" Moka called as she went through the hole. It looked like the room was empty. The only thing in the ice cavern was a steel table, the twisted door and ice chunks all over the floor. "Mizore, are you in here?" she asked.

'sniff'

Moka knelt down. Mizore was under the table, sitting and hugging her legs to herself. Moka crawled in with her. "Mizore?" she asked as she touched the cold woman's shoulder.

"Dead." Mizore muttered.

"Who's dead?" Moka asked.

Mizore lifted her head to not quite fixing her vacant stare on Moka. "Ren didn't come home. I went out, I found him by a watching place. He was stabbed deep through the back. Already cold and stiff when I found him. Police brought us here."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Moka cried, and hugged Mizore.

"Why Ren?" Mizore asked with a sniff.

"I don't know, but you're coming home with me," Moka said firmly.

Mizore didn't move on her own, but didn't resist either. Moka got her from under the table and on her feet, then walked back through the hole, guiding Mizore.

"Thank you, Mrs. Aono. We'll take it from here," a policeman said.

Moka turned to see a pack of officers waiting with cuffs and chain. The idea that they would want to restrain Mizore after Ren had been killed didn't sit well with her. What she saw were humans who had no concern at all for Mizore, wanting throw her in a cage.

"No," Moka said in a firm tone. "Her boyfriend was killed. I am taking her home."

"We can't allow that," the inspector said.

"Try and stop us," Lucy challenged. She walked towards the officers. They moved to stop her and were pushed and held against the wall by one of her vectors.

Lucy glared at them and stated, "We are all leaving. Do not attempt to stop us." She turned back to face Moka, walking backwards past the police as she waved Moka to follow.

"Freeze, hands in the air!" came a command from behind Lucy. A young policeman stood aiming his gun at her back. Lucy turned to look at him.

The next events happened quickly. The young cop shot. The bullet stopped in the air before it got to Lucy. **SPLAT.** The young policeman came apart. His head flew up in the air as his arms flew to the sides, his torso exploding out the back to spread gore in a spray as the remainder of his body recoiled.

A woman screamed.

The bullet dropped to the floor. "Anyone else?" Lucy asked in a growl as she eyed the police.

Everyone froze in place, gapping at the sudden carnage. Even Moka and Mizore.

"Moka, Let's go!" Lucy barked.

Moka lead Mizore out, her face still resistering the shock at what Lucy had done.

Standing alone in the room full of police staring at her, Lucy let out a snort and said, "Do yourselves a favor, do not follow us." She then walked out.

A single voice said, "Call the Mayor. Now!"

.

Tsukune stood on his side of the gate up to Witch Hill with Ruby, Lucy, Yukari, Moka, and four guards spread out behind him. He was currently standing on a powder keg, and he knew it. People were dead, and the police were angry.

"I can tell you one thing right now, Mizore DID NOT kill Ren!" Tsukune barked at the Inspector. "I highly doubt she killed any of those hoodlums, either. Mizore does not use metal weapons, she controls ice. If Mizore had been in there, the place would have been soaked, water everywhere, the bodies would have been frozen in blocks of ice. You'd be finding ice and frost in the strangest places. Mizore watches people, she does not kill them."

Standing on his side of the gate in front of several squad cars and a truck with a SAT team, the Inspector said, "She was found at the scene, I need to take her in." Pointing to Lucy, he added, "And that one killed an officer of the law."

"He tried to kill me first, he got what he deserved," Lucy spat back.

Moka spoke up. "I was there. The officer shot at Lucy first, from behind. He did try to kill her."

"I will find out what happened," Tsukune told him.

The Inspector held out a piece of paper. "I have a warrant, we're coming up."

"Do NOT try it," Ruby warned.

"I am giving you the chance to come quietly." The Inspector yelled to Lucy.

"DEATH FIRST!" Lucy yelled back, which caused the police behind the Inspector to take cover.

"Lucy, stop it! Everyone, calm down!" Tsukune barked. To the Inspector he said, "I want to find whoever killed Ren also, but I can assure you it was not Mizore. I'll make sure she stays here, and you, ONLY you can talk to her when she's ready, but you are not going to bring armed men up here."

"You can let us up, or the self defense forces will let us up," The inspector said firmly.

Tsukune gapped at him. "Do you really want a blood bath that badly?" he cried. "I thought the police were suppose to keep the peace, not make war."

The Inspector's phone rang. He answered it and listened. "Yes, Sir... Yes Sir!" he said, and closed it up. Turning back to his officers, he said, "Form a road block two hundred meters down hill at the last intersection. No one gets up here. The rest of you, station personnel included, fall back to the road block. We'll set up a command post there." Turning back to Tsukune, the Inspector said, "No one is allowed to leave until we have the murderers in custody."

"Seems you forgot about a trial in convicting them," Tsukune replied evenly.

The police all got back in their vehicles and drove away down the hill.

Tsukune breathed a small sigh of relief. He didn't know why, but the situation had exploded out of proportion. He didn't even know what this was all about. He had to think hard to keep things from getting worse. Collecting his thoughts, he said, "Ruby, Keep a watch out, stop them if you have to, but do not kill anyone else. Moka, Lucy, let's go back to the house. He then noted someone was missing. "Has anyone seen Kurumu?"

.

Kurumu sat in the band's office with a pair of uniformed officers and an Inspector.

"And where were you last night, say around nine PM?" the Inspector asked.

"Home," Kurumu said as if that should be obvious. "After we have the dinner party, we had to spend 'quality time'," she said, holding up her fingers to twitch them on quotes, "With Moka's family. By the time we were done, we were so exhausted, we just went to bed. I was even too worn out to have sex."

One of the uniformed officer's chuckled. The Inspector glared at him. "And what about everyone else?"

Kuumu shrugged. "The same, I guess. We saw Lord Shuzen to his room, I helped Moka put the kids to bed, Kokoa stomped off to her room, Kahlua was all over Chris, promising to buy her a big, new dolls house and all kinds of toys."

"Did anyone leave?"

"Not that I know of. So, what's going on?" Kurumu asked innocently.

The Inspector cast her a brief smile. "I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to say."

"Are we done yet, I have to get back home so Moka can make her classes."

The Inspector shook his head. "Let's go over this one more time. What did you to from five PM to five this morning?"

Kurumu frowned at him and said, "I already told you. You even wrote it down. How long are we going to be doing this?"

"I will hold you here until I am satisfied."

"That's what all the guys tell me," Kurumu said flatly.

The Inspector's face took on a hard look. "We can always go down to the station," he said firmly.

"For what? I didn't do anything!" Kurumu cried.

"From the beginning, please. What did you do from Five PM last night, to Five AM his morning?"

Kurumu blew out a tired huff. "OK, if it will make you feel better," she said, then repeated her evening's events. He stopped her a couple times when she didn't clarify every person in the room with her.

After the third time through, Kurumu was becoming annoyed, and she was late. Once she was done repeating herself, she added a bit of charm and said in a sweet tone, "I've told you everything, and my children are waiting for me. Can I please go now, after you tell me why you're questioning me?"

"Yes, of course," the Inspector said with a nod. "We have what we think was a mob hit. Seven people dead at the scene, another off by himself, but in sight of the scene. We found a yokai woman over his body." Right after he spoke, he froze and glared at her.

"Who was it?" Kurumu asked innocently.

The Inspector stood up. "We're going down to the station," he said firmly.

"But you just said I could go," Kurumu reminded him.

Motioning to the door, he said, "It would be best of you come quietly."

"OK," Kurumu said in a huff. She got up, then sped out the door, through the practice room, and out a window to fly away.

By the time the inspector saw her disappear from in front of him, and turned to look for her, she was airborne and on her way back to Witch Hill.

.

On the way home, Kurumu noted a helicopter coming towards her. Many times, helicopters would fly close and wave. Unconcerned, she kept going and waved as soon as she could see the pilot. She then noticed the machine guns, and the fact the helicopter banked to close on her quickly. Kurumu shot up above it. When it rose up with her, she put on a burst of speed and dove, leaving it far behind.

Kurumu kept looking back, and the helicopter kept chasing her. Becoming worried, she kept rising and diving to stay out of it's direct path. It followed her all the way back to Witch Hill, banking away only after she was directly over the hill.

Kurumu flew down to the house. Running in with her wings still extended, she found her family gathered. Tsukune sat holding a very sad looking Mizore, Moka and Lucy sitting facing him. "What is going on?" Kurumu asked.

Moka got up and hugged her. "At least your home safe," she said in relief.

"Someone bother you?" Tsukune asked, as if he already knew they had.

"Yes! These police came to the loft and started asking me questions. There was what they called a 'mob hit' and they found a yokai woman over one of the bodies, but they didn't say who. Then I was chased home by an armed helicopter!" Kurumu explained.

"That was me. Ren was the body," Mizore said quietly.

"Oh Mizore..." Kurumu with a pained look. She went over and hugged Mizore. She was sad Ren had died. Not only for Mizore, but also for herself. Mizore was sure to start hanging onto Tsukune again.

.

"NO, that is wrong," 'Mr. Kendo' said to the gathering of men in suits and a few police officers at the station near City Hall. "You are not going to win any battle against Witch hill. There are far too many powerful yokai up there. The slaughter would be horrific. The streets would be running with blood! No, violence is not the answer. You won't be able to fight them and any 'justice' will be meaningless. Forget about bringing them in or charging them with crimes."

Stressing his point as he used his slight touch of hypnotism, he stressed, "The best way to get rid of them is show them you don't want them here. Freeze them out. Encourage everyone to stop dealing with them. No one help any yokai with anything. Do not sell them anything and punish those who do. Cut their electric service, their gas, their phones. Dig up the road so a vehicle cannot get up to Witch Hill. Contact every parent who has a child up there and tell them an education in those schools will not be recognized. THAT is how to fight them. THAT is how to get them to pack up and leave."

A chorus of agreements rose up. Mr. 'Kendo' smiled inwardly. That idiot Apollo thought his bluster and a show of strength would drive the yokai off Witch Hill. It amazed Kobayashi that in all his centuries of life, Apollo never learned how to properly manipulate the masses.

.

In the hot tub at their private honeymoon suite, Sir John relaxed naked, one arm around an equally naked Ageha, the other holding a glass of champagne. Leaning his head back, he said, "I must say, Mrs. Smith, you chose a more than adequate hotel. You have impeccable taste."

Cuddling up to him, Ageha wore a satisfied smile. "I agree, Mr. Smith. I did marry you, after all."

Behind them near the bucket containing ice and the half empty champagne bottle, the phone rang.

"Don't get up dear, let it ring," Ageha said, and nuzzled into him.

Sir John let out a sigh. "I specifically said not to bother us unless it is of vital importance. If the fate of the world is not at stake, whoever that is, will not be happy." Turning around, he rose up enough to snatch up the phone. "Sir John Smith speaking. What is the emergency?" he said firmly.

Ageha watched as he sat up, listening.

"I see ... Yes, of course. Shall we meet in the Mayor's office? ... Very well. I will be there before morning." He then got up.

"John?" Ageha asked.

John got a towel for himself, and one for Ageha. With a raised eyebrow, he said, "We must pack, my dear. The fate of the world may be at stake."


	14. Chapter 14

Capu4 ch14 **Smoke on the water**

Tsukune wasn't comfortable staying at the house with an armed camp a half mile away. From the balcony of Ruby's office, he could see down the hill the many tents, vehicles, including armored cars and a few tanks, and a picket of defense forces in a long line hiding behind sand bags. Although Ruby was doing her best to maintain a normal school schedule and keep all the students calm, he was sure they noted the gargoyles that had been moved outside the fences, as well as the armored Orcs that now camped in the police station across from the gate and were interspersed along the edges of the fence line. Not to mention the constant patrol of crows overhead.

Besides the residents of Witch Hill, other yokai had sneaked, or been chased in. Sato, the football star graduate of Witch Hill, had been run off by a pack of screaming people as they tried to catch her and beat her with their clubs. Rie arrived sobbing, they had beaten her human boyfriend for associating with her. Another graduate student came in to tell how Yanaka's flower shop had been vandalized. All the widows and pots were broken and 'Yokai go away' spray painted on the walls.

Tsukune cautioned Ruby to use restraint against the growing army facing them, but agreed that they had to defend themselves. He only hoped there would be no further sparks that would explode into a full battle. So far, he wasn't liking the odds. The phone lines were dead, and no one had come to speak with them except yokai seeking refuge. By everything he saw, it wasn't looking good. As he struggled on how to diffuse the situation, he noted a single figure walking up the road. Noting the robes and the light hair, as well as feeling a yokai presence from this distance, he knew who was coming.

"Oh great!" Tsukune grumbled, and went down to meet Apollo.

.

Others sensed Apollo coming also. Tsukune made Lucy return to class after she touched him to 'renew' his vector capability. Ruby insisted on being present, but he did get her to stay back. Kurumu watched from the roof of the school, and he got Moka (who insisted her rosary be off) to watch over things at the house. He opened the gate and met Apollo alone, not relishing the idea of seeing him one bit.

"Greetings, Apollo," Tsukune said with a bow. "This is not a good time to visit."

Visibly angry, Apollo replied in a hard tone, "I think this is a PERFECT time for a visit! Eight dead humans, and you are harboring the murderers up here. I will hear what you have to say, and if I am not satisfied, I WILL dispense justice!"

Tsukune scowled back at him and said, "Before you dispense justice, you may want to hear what happened. First of all, the police think Mizore killed Ren. You remember Ren, don't you? Mizore's boyfriend? They were going to school together and were planning to get married. The police were holding Mizore for Ren's murder. She didn't do it. The others that died there were gangsters. I have a good idea who killed them, but until I have some solid proof, I'm not going to say. As far as the other 'murder', as you call it, a policeman tried to shoot Lucy in the back when she and Moka went to retrieve Mizore. I'm sure you know how fast her vectors are. At point blank range, she probably killed him when she stopped the bullet that was going to kill her. I call that self defense, NOT murder."

"And she told you that," Apollo asked in a flat tone.

"No, Moka told me that. She was there. Mizore was too out of it to know what happened, she'd just lost her love and was being blamed for his death," Tsukune stated.

Apollo's face softened. "Why do they think Mizore killed him?" he asked in a more normal tone.

Tsukune raised his hands and dropped them to the sides as he said, "They found her over his body with the knife that killed him. The police insisted she was the one who put it there, which I cannot believe. Someone killed Ren, and it wasn't Mizore. Instead of 'dispensing justice', why don't you help me find out what really happened."

Apollo frowned in thought for a moment. "I need to speak with Mizore," he said.

"So do I, but at the moment, all she's doing is crying. I let her stay with me last night because I was afraid to leave her alone," Tsukune stated.

Apollo shifted in place and said, "Thank you." Glancing back down the road, he added, "The hatred is already beginning to build. You should put an end to this project before more die. Did I not tell you what would happen?"

Tsukune was half tempted to do just that. Stiffening himself, he said, "NO. Something is terribly wrong here. If we just leave, then everyone in the city ... in all of Japan will see us as guilty. All yokai will have a bad name. We cannot just leave. We MUST find out the truth!"

"That may get your family killed. Can you live with that?" Apollo countered.

"If anyone tries to go after my family, they'll have to go through me first," Tsukune stated.

Apollo gazed at Tsukune sadly. "I felt the same. Yet too many of my loved ones are dead, and here I remain. Can you live with such failure?" he asked softly.

"I can't live with not trying."

Apollo nodded. Looking up at the school, he took a deep breath and said, "I will help you, for I cannot just stand by and watch." Levveling his gaze on Tsukune, he said, "Tsukune, I hope you enjoyed your years of innocent, for they are over. Let's go see Mizore."

.

Sir John arrived in the Mayor's office with Ageha by his side. The first thing he noticed as he was led into the conference room was the three high ranking military men pointing out something on the map of the Witch Hill area that took over the center of the table. On the map were colored blocks surrounding the hill that had unit numbers on them. Upon seeing him enter the Mayor's face brightened.

"Sir Smith, Mrs. Smith, so glad you could come," Mayor Hiromasa said with a smile and a bow before he shook Sir John's hand.

"It's a pleasure to be of service," Sir John replied. Pointedly looking at the map, he asked, "What do we have here?"

The Mayor motioned to the table. In a grave tone, he said, "We have a serious problem. There have been murders, and the murdering yokai are up on Witch Hill. We dare not move forward to arrest them, for there are still over a hundred human hostages up there. We've cut off all services, and we are hoping to wait them out. I know you have been up there, I would like you to go talk to them, and see if you can coax them into giving the guilty Yokai up and letting the hostages go."

Sir John felt Ageha's arm tighten on his. They looked at each other. Ageha was holding onto herself well, but he could feel the quiver of fear through her hand on his arm.

Sir John frowned, and asked, "So, these guilty ones, they have been convicted?"

"We know they did it," Mayor Hiromasa stated.

"Yes, well, perhaps I should go find out what they 'know'," Sir John offered. Nodding at the table, he said, "That's a lot of hardware you have around Witch Hill. Don't you think you may be over reacting just a tad?"

"We have proof," Mayor Hiromasa insisted.

"May I call Lord Aono and speak with him?"

"We have disconnected all services, including every cell phone on Witch Hill," the general said firmly.

"Right," Sir John said in a huff. "Well, then, perhaps if you show me this proof, I can take it to Lord Aono so he can see it. The young man is a fair chap, I am sure he will see reason once he views this proof for himself."

"He is part of the problem, he's a monster!" one of the policemen snapped.

Sir John was not getting a good feeling from these men. It was like they had already made up their minds on what they were going to do, and wanted him only to soothe their consciouses . He also noted something a bit strange about them, though he couldn't put his finger on what it was. "Mayor Hiromasa, my previous talks with you were very different. You were more reasonable. I understand people are dead and you want justice, but where has your common sense flown off to?" he asked.

"What are you saying?" Mayor Hiromasa asked.

"I am saying that you are preparing for war over a crime," Sir John said firmly. "If the Yakuza killed someone, would you call out the army to blast their houses level? What you're here doing is not only over reacting, it's the pinnacle of stupidity. I have spent time up on Witch Hill. If you attack that hill, they will retaliate with things out of your worst nightmares. It will be slaughter on a grand scale and may possibly lead to the worst war humanity has ever seen. Do you really want to be the cause of such destruction?"

"I was looking to you to avoid that," the Mayor said firmly.

Beside him, Aghea was trembling. A glance at her showed that it was now from anger, not fear. If he didn't choose his actions wisely, that war might begin right here in this room. He patted Ageha on the hand as he told the Mayor, "Then you will have to trust me. First off, I need to see this evidence you have. After that, I will need a line to talk to Lord Aono."

.

Kobayashi saw his plan unfolding very nicely. Humans were running yokai out of the city wherever they found them, and there were some beatings, but so far they had not pushed hard enough to force yokai to fight back. Yokai were going to ground and leaving to protect their families. Witch Hill was surrounded, and he knew the Aono boy would not attack them unless they gave him no choice. The hard bond between yokai and humans was breaking down. He'd give it another week, then go plead with Aono to scrap the co-existence project. If Aono didn't, then he would have to turn up the heat a little more and kill a few people.


	15. Chapter 15

Capu 4 ch 15 W**e didn't start the fire**

Kyoko stood in the small police station, fuming. When she had first reported someone had broken into her room and destroyed all her things, they had been happy to take a report. Once she told them her name, the policeman at the desk paused, then shrugged.

"We're sorry, Miss Aono, but unless you happen to see who it was, we can do nothing," the man said. "How do we know you didn't do it during a party?"

"A party?" Kyoko asked, wide eyed. "LOOK, parties in the dorms are against the rules. There are hall monitors you know. Not only that, since when at a party, does someone rip up all your clothes, tear pages out of your school books and piss on your old school uniform!"

"Did this hall monitor see whoever it was break into your room?"

"No one saw anything," Kyoko said in a sarcastic tone.

"Then there's nothing we can do."

"The lock on my door is broke, can't you even file the report so I can turn it in so don't have to pay for everything myself?"

Looking straight at her, the officer said, "There's nothing we can do. Good day, Miss Aono."

Pointing at the report he had started, Kyoko said, "I don't want you to solve the case, just file the damn report!"

"All right, that's enough," the officer said and stood up. "Any more outbursts, and I'll arrest you for disturbing the peace."

"Arrest ME?" Kyoko asked in a squeak.

"Please leave quietly," he said in an even tone.

"What about all my stuff?"

"Please leave quietly. Now."

"You won't even file a report?" Kyoko asked.

"I will file it. Please leave quietly."

A female officer who bore hard eyes at Kyoko came over. "You report will be filed, Miss Aono. Please do not make a scene."

Kyoko wanted to scream at them. He hadn't even written hadn't anything on the report, he'd stopped when she said her name! Seeing the hard looks they were giving her, she turned and stomped out in frustration.

They watched her leave, then the officer behind the desk picked up the report and dropped it in the trash. "Report filed," he said, which caused a grin from the female officer.

.

Kyoko stomped through the campus, heading for her dorm room to see if there was anything salvageable left. Approaching the girl's dorm, she saw the yard cluttered with items. A small desk was heaved out to crash on the sidewalk and break apart. She ran, to see if it was her stuff, and to catch who was doing it. Looking at the items scatter on the lawn, she noted the ripped clothes were not hers. Someone had cleared a room out completely. By the time she got to the doors, they were shut and locked.

Rattling the doors, Kyoko yelled, "Let me in you COWARD!" She banged on the doors and yelled, "HEY! Someone let me in, or I'm KICKING these doors down!"

"Miss Aono!" came a yell from the right. Kyoko looked to see the dorm manager leaning out the window. Holding up a paper, she said, "Your room was a total wreck, you are evicted for failing to keep your room presentable." She then tossed the paper out onto the ground, ducked back in and shut the window.

Kyoko grabbed the sides of her head and screamed, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"

"Kyoko!" A voice said from the sidewalk.

Kyoko turned to see Ichi and a couple other boys from Witch Hill. Ichi waved her over. "Kyoko, come on, we have a place you can stay for the night."

Kyoko stomped over to them with tears in her eyes. Pointing back at the dorm, she told them all about someone trashing her room, and trying to report it to be kicked out of the police station. "And now, I'm evicted for having a sloppy room!" she cried.

"MY STUFF!" Yoko cried, and ran over to the mess on the ground. Wearing a shocked look, she cried, ""Who destroyed all my stuff?"

"Yoko, come with us, please," Ichi called to her.

Kyoko began to note the condition of the boys. One had bruises, and they all bore a combination of anger and fear. "What's happening?" she asked.

"The humans have gone nuts. Ichi's taking us to his temple until we can get up to Witch Hill," Koga the dragon-boy said.

"Kyoko, come with us. Don't get caught out alone," another added.

Ichi clasped Kyoko's hand. Speaking in a soothing tone, he said, "Come on, it doesn't matter if your human or not, they are after anyone who went to Witch Hill. I'd feel a lot better if I know you are safe."

Kyoko nodded. With Ichi leading the slowly growing pack, they collected everyone they could find and left the college campus.

.

On the television, Hirata Kiku stood on a street corner with a vandalized shop behind her. A military patrol walked by in the background.

"I am Hirata Kiku, and behind me is an example of the destruction happening in various parts of the city. By first look, it appears the military has been called in to deal with the random acts of vandalism. What we've found, however, is that they are doing nothing to stop it. This shop behind me had it's windows broken while that patrol you see walked past..."

In the background, the patrol noticed her, and began walking toward her.

"The only common thread I found, is that every shop owned, or thought to be owned by a yokai are being targeted." Looking to the side, she said, "Sir, do you know why this vandalism is going on?"

A young man holding a stick scowled at her. "Don't you?" he asked. "Yokai are trying to take over the city, and they killed nine policemen! We'll show THEM the cannot just do as the please in OUR town!"

"You are attacking people on rumor?" Kiku asked.

"Not people, monsters who shouldn't even be here!"

"I have heard no reports of any police being killed. Where did you get your information?" Kiku asked.

"Everyone knows what they did. Mr. Kendo told us!"

"Who is Mr. Kendo?" Kiku asked.

"Excuse me," a soldier said, and grabbed Kiku's microphone.

"Hey!" she cried. Then the camera got a brief scene of another soldier coming close, then it jerkily shifted to a sky shot, then went out.

.

Tsukune stood in a guest room as Apollo went over to Mizore, who sat on the bed. Leaning on a post, she gazed vacantly at the floor. Apollo sat down next to her.

"Mizore, I am so sorry," he said softly.

Mizore snapped out of it to eye Apollo. She then got up and walked over to Tsukune and hugged him. "Why is he here?" she asked in her monotone voice.

Shocked at her reaction, Apollo said, "I came to offer my condolences."

"We got enough trouble. Go away," Mizore replied.

"You didn't leave the best impression the last time you were here," Tsukune reminded him as he enfolded Mizore.

Apollo shook his head sadly. "I am only doing what I believe is right."

Voices came up the hallway.

"Kurumu, take the children and the maids over to Ruby's," Moka's voice said.

"I have a teleportation spell readied, just hold him still," Ruby said.

"Let's try to get him outside first, I want to save our house if it's possible," Moka said.

Tsukune let out a huff. He turned to see Moka, Ruby, Lucy, Mariko and Yukari march in, ready for a fight. "STOP!" he commanded.

Looking at Apollo, Moka asked, "**Why did you come back**."

"I came to stop this nonsense, get ready to leave," Apollo replied.

"ENOUGH!" Tsukune snapped and got between them. To Moka, he said, "Apollo said he wants to help, so let's give him a chance." Turning to Apollo, he said, "We are not going to just give up and go away. IF you want to help, We'd be grateful. If you want to spew your demands, then please leave. We already have enough trouble to deal with."

Apollo eyed Tsukune and asked, "What do you plan to do? The great Queen Lucy there murdered a policeman."

**"You were not there, do not speak of things you know nothing about," **Moka said, glaring at him.

Apollo shot to his feet. Pointing at Lucy he said in a hard tone, "She can stand toe to toe with me, how can you POSSIBLY believe that any single human is a threat to her? He may have shot his gun at her first, but she didn't have to kill him!"

Angered, Lucy spat back, "And if I didn't kill him, then other would have gotten the idea to try shooting me. Moka and Mizore were in danger also. I will not let them be harmed just to save a human life!"

"Killing someone to prove a point. And you call me a bully," Apollo grated.

"I didn't attack people minding their own business, like you did!" Lucy replied heavily.

"STOP IT!" Tsukune roared. He looked back and forth to be sure they weren't going to start up again. "Argue later, right now, we have to work together and find out how WHY all this is happening. From what I can see, it began when those Yakuza were attacked and Ren was killed. Ruby, can you scry out the scene and tell us what happened?"

Ruby took her eyes off Apollo and said, "If I know where he was."

"I know." Mizore said.

"Good," Tsukune said, happy to get something positive started. Thinking as he spoke, he added, "Ruby, when you scry it out, we'll pull Ren back before he gets killed. Then the entire police station episode won't happen. That should get rid of a lot of our problem. We find out who did the killings and stop them, and that should return everything to normal."

Ruby shook her head. "It's not that simple. As soon as we retrieve Ren alive, then we change history. Whoever goes will be caught in a time-loop."

"But, we got Yukari back, and we saved Hosoi and Mariko," Tsukune reminder her.

Ruby took a couple steps toward Tsukune and slowly explained. "That was different. Hosoi and Mariko were dead in their world anyway. We didn't change anything there. Their time line went on uninterrupted. When we pulled Yukari up to our time, it was the same. Yukari was missing from the time she tried to teleport until we retrieved her. No history was changed. This time, history will change. Ren won't be dead. Mizore won't be arrested. A policeman won't be killed. It is very possible we will have no reason to send anyone back."

"That's good, isn't it?" Tsukune asked.

"NOT for whoever goes back," Ruby said, then stressed, "Whoever goes through will find the portal closed the instant they change history. Since there was no reason for them to be there, they will either cease to exist, or be trasported to their earlier selves at that time in their version of history. They will live the last few days over and over again, for all eternity."

**"Whoever goes back is doomed."** Moka stated.

"Yes."

Tsukune let out a heavy breath. If he could save Ren and stop the insanity, he had to go. "Thank you for explaining Ruby. Please set it up. I'll go get Ren back."

Ruby frowned at him and asked, "Didn't you listen? If I send you back, you may end up WORSE than dead."

**"Ruby, I forbid you to send Tsukune back." **Moka stated.

Ruby nodded to her. "And I refuse to do it," she agreed.

Mizore gripped Tsukune's arm hard. "I can't loose you too," she stated.

Tsukune cast her a small grin, "But you'll get Ren back. I'd rather see you happy."

"Not at the cost of your life," Mizore said firmly.

"Hey, I'm just one guy. I feel very honored to have known all of you. I'm OK with it," Tsukune told her.

**"We're not,"** Moka said, eyeing him.

"Ruby," Apollo said to get her attention. "If I go back, save Ren, and find out who the killer is, would you be all right with that?" Looking at the faces around him, he added, "You don't like me anyway."

Ruby shook her head. Tsukune knew Apollo was serious, but with their fates in his hands, Tsukune wasn't sure he could trust him. "Not a good idea," he said.

**"It is true we don't like you, but you are family. No."**

"Um," Mizore said with a nod.

"Someone has to do this," Apollo told them.

"We will find another way," Ruby said, glaring at him. To Tsukune, she said, "I will scry out what happened, but I will not send anyone back and doom them to be stuck in a time loop."

**"I will stay with you to ensure no one goes through,"** Moka said to Ruby as she cast a glance at Tsukune.

.

Sir John sat looking over the evidence as Ageha fumed beside him. There was a shot of Mizore squatting over Ren's body as she held a long knife. The look on her face and posture told of shock, not murderous intent. The photos of the hacked up bodies on the floor in some house made John think the attacker had a sword. Limbs and even torsos were chopped in half.

Looking up, John noticed the officers with him had stepped away, still being close enough to make sure he didn't tamper with evidence. "Hon, can you hear me?" he whispered softly.

She squeezed his leg.

"Can you tell what's wrong with these people?" he asked, barely audible.

She squeezed his leg.

"Can you fix it?"

With a finger, she traced out letters on his leg. C ... H ... A... R...M

"Not the slave making kind, I hope," he said as low as possible.

She traced letters on his leg again. H...A...V...E...T...O...N...O...T...P...E...R...M

Sir John deciphered her words as he started a video of the police station indecent from number 3 camera. He paused it just as the officer pulled his gun on Lucy. Ageha was tracing on his leg again.

R...E...L...E...A...S...E...A...F...T...E...R

Sir John let out a sigh. "Have at it then. The Mayor did say he was counting on us to stop this insanity," he whispered.

Ageha patted his leg leaned over and kissed his cheek, then got up. "Excuse me, officers?" she asked in a light tone as she approached them.

As Ageha put the police under her spell, Sir John watched that video closely, then put in the one from Camera 2 that showed the scene from a different angle. With both views, he made a few notes, then copied the video as well as all the other evidence. The officers didn't stop him. Ageha had asked them to be his guards.

.

Ageha walked through the station, charming everyone she met, then assured them that yokai were their friends. Walking over to City Hall, she proceeded to do the same with officers and officials she met there. On the way up to the Mayor's office, she felt another yokai presence. Hopefully it was Tsukune and not someone they had captured for information.

Walking into the office, Ageha noted the Yokai. She saw who it was. "Mr. Kobayashi, I am so glad you are here," she said with a bright smile. Finally, someone to help calm the situation.

BANG

Ageha stopped and stared at the gun Kobayashi had quickly drawn. She felt like she'd been punched just under her ribs, taking her breath away.

"She is a yokai!" Kobayashi announced to the startled men.

In her mind, that was the most absurd thing he could say. Ageha couldn't say it, for her breath was gone. Feeling dizzy, she stumbled back.

BANG

This shot hit her high in her chest, driving her back against the wall. Her mind reeled. Why was he trying to kill her! She had to get away. She stumbled to the door, falling though the doorway. In her blurry vision, she could make out the railing on the wall. She had to escape and tell Sir John! Crawling over, she grabbed the rail to pull herself up. Suddenly, her hair was pulled, lifting her to her feet.

"No sense wasting another bullet, is there?" Koyabashi asked in her ear.

Ageha felt his hand grip her chin hard as he wrapped an arm around her body. He turned her head to see his sadistic grin, and he kept turning. Ageha flailed, trying to free herself. She wanted to scream, to beg him to stop. All that happened was her eyes went wide and her mouth gapped silently. Facing behind herself, her neck bones cracked and broke. The sickening sounds sound filled her skull. Her body fell limp. She then felt a sharp pain, and she tumbled. The last thing she saw was her own headless body lying by a pair of feet as blood ran from the stump of her neck.

Ageha's last thought was. _'John...__I__...__am...__sorry..."_

.

Standing over Ageha's body, Kobayashi pointed to it and said in his hypnotic tone, "She was a yokai spy, her husband is also. It would be in your best interests to arrest him immediately and hold him for treason."

.

Sir John got copies of the evidence and walked out to the lobby with his guards. He thanked them, and shook their hands. Both officers seemed quite happy to help. No more than had he gotten to his car to put the evidence in, when those same officers came running out of the building, followed by others.

"Police, STOP!" they yelled.

"Oh, bother," Sir John grumbled. He dove into his car and started it. As soon as the engine caught, he slammed it in gear and hit the accelerator to the floor. Squealing out of the parking spot, he drove away from the police. Shots were fired, his back window exploded. He careened out of the parking lot to slam sideways into another car. Keeping his head low, he drove on, weaving around slower traffic, then plowed between two small cars that were side by side.

His steering wheel shuddered and the fenders were peeled back. Sir John knew this car wouldn't last long. Police sirens sounded behind him. He knew the chances of trying to out-run police. He rolled the window down. Grabbing the folder of evidence, he crammed it into his shirt. By the time he stopped and got out, they'd be on him. He needed to stop fast.

"Hope the air bags works," he mussed, and picked his target. A parked car smaller than his. He guided his car over to the side and rammed it. The crash took longer than he thought it would. Upon impact, his car drove the parked car into the next one, then the next as the air bag exploded into his face. Before him was nothing but crumpled metal. He door was jammed. Releasing his seat belt, he got out the window with adrenalin flowing and his heart slamming in his chest.

Around him, traffic had skidded to a halt, which meant he wasn't ran over when he fell out the window. He scrambled to his feet. Spying an alley, he ran for it. The alley continued on to the next street. He made for it, not looking back at the yelling that filled the air. Halfway down the alley, he saw an open door. Diving in, he shut it behind him. He hadn't noticed a latch on the outside, and the inside was a crash bar. Around him were crates of produce. He was safe for the moment.

Sir John walked through the back rooms of a grocery store, and found a bathroom. Locking himself in, he looked in the mirror. Blood was trickling from his nose, and something had grazed the side of his head. The adrenalin was keeping the pain level down, for now.

"Bloody hell!" he spat out. Apparently, something happened and Ageha was forced to remove her charm. His thoughts immediately went to something horrible happening to her. Dropping his head to stare into the sink, he reasoned, "OK, mate, take it easy. If you, a human, got away, then she did too. She won't try to find me, she'll go to Witch Hill. Right then, she's OK, and I have to get this evidence to Lord Aono."

Sir John cleaned himself up quickly, then made his way out into the grocery store. On the street outside, a police car cruised by. The officer he could see was scanning the sidewalk. Two officers came into the store.

"Bloody hell," Sir John grumbled. He watched through a mirrored dome mounted on the corner of a wall. Noting which isles they went down, he went up one between them. Plucking a wool cap from the 'special sale' rack, he pulled his jacket off and hung it in it's place. It was a weak attempt at disguising himself, but it was something. He paid for his cap and left the store. Mingling with the crowd, he managed to get to keep out of sight of the police and get out of the immediate area. Finding an unattended clothes line, he borrowed some clothes that were a bit tight. He kept taking glances at the sky, hoping to see Ageha winging her way back to Witch Hill.

The only thing he saw in the sky was helicopters.


	16. Chapter 16

Capu4 Ch16 **Explosion**

In her magic room Yukari was using her scrying bowl to watch the human forces through crow's eyes. Shifting crows, she watched through one crow, then another to see what was happening all over Witch Hill. Not far from the mansion, she looked down at the orcs knelt down behind their large shields just outside the fence. Across from them in the woods were men in black uniforms using the trees and brush for cover. Seeing something happening farther off in the woods, she had a crow investigate.

In a clearing, several soldiers had a man face down on the ground. A solider kicked him, making him turn over in pain. It was Sir Smith. Another soldier had a folder tucked under his arm and was looking at some pictures. Sir Smith was kicked again, and put face down. His hands were tied behind his back.

"Hey! Sir Smith is in trouble!" Yukari called out as she watched the scene. Angered at what they were doing to him, she steered the crow at the abusing soldier. As the solider raised his rifle to hit Sir John, the crow dove down and rammed him in his left eye. The scene tumbled, then went out as other soldiers opened up on the crow with their guns.

"Bastards!" Yukari spat.

Kurumu peeked her head in and asked, "What's going on?"

Yukari found another crow to scry through to find the soldiers were now shooting at the crows. This scene too went out. "The human soldiers are attacking the crows, they have Sir Smith and they are beating him!" Yukari cried.

"Where?" Moka asked as she appeared, still in her inner form.

"Outside the southern fence, downhill from the house."

"I'll go see what's happening," Kurumu said, and left.

"Yukari, pull all the crows back inside the fence and get them higher," Moka ordered, then followed Kurumu. "Kurumu, do NOT go outside the fence!"

"I won't," Kurumu called back, then Jumped off the balcony above the courtyard. Kurumu took to the air and spiraled up. Climbing, she began to see the muzzle flashes of the soldiers beyond the fence. Besides individual flashes, a machine gun had started firing at the few crows left as they fled. Helicopters were coming, and it didn't look like they were going to stop at the fence.

Calling down, Kurumu yelled, "Moka! The soldiers are firing onto the hill! Helicopters are... AHHH!" She ended in a scream.

A round slammed through Kurumu's shoulder. Even as this registered, another round hit her left thigh, and another punched through the membrane of her wings. She tried to dive, and felt a series of punches coming up her side. The last one hit her temple. Kurumu fell limp.

Moka saw Kurumu twitching from the shots, then her wings folded as she tumbled down. Racing out, Moka jumped up with the help of her vectors and caught Kurumu's bloody body before it hit the ground. Dropping back down, Moka laid Kurumu on the stone courtyard. Only then did she notice the hole in Kurumu's left temple, and the blown-open right side of her head. Kurumu's eyes were half closed in death as her blood filled the seams in the stones around her.

Holding her sister-wife's body, Moka began so shake in rage, her eyes flaring bright red.

"Humans are firing at us. Your orders, Lady Aono?" General Khan asked as he ran up.

Moka turned her enraged face to him and screamed, **"ATTACK!"**

Pulling an ultrasonic horn from his belt that only monsters could hear, General Khan blew out a long blast. All his troops, the orcs, the dragons, and the demons under his command already had their orders should that horn be blown. Upon hearing the horn, his army responded.

All along the fence line, orcs rose and revealed the ones behind them and formed one long line that surged forward at a run, quickly covering the ground to the human soldiers. In the air above the human troops, dragons appeared from their disguises and natural clouds to descend upon the helicopters.

The human troops opened fire. Bullets bounced off orc shields. The 20mm guns knocked orcs to fall backwards, but the fallen orcs got up and kept charging. Tanks had better luck, shattering the orc shields, but those orcs also regained their feet and kept coming. They crashed into the humans, chopping soldiers apart with axes and hitting them with large war hammers to send the bloody corpses flying through the air. Tank and vehicles were overturned by thick, powerful arms.

The battle in the air was the same. Dragons breathed fire down on helicopters, making them explode. Surviving helicopters tried to turn and get a shot to have a dragon engulf them in fire. All along the line, humans were slaughtered en-mass as they first tried to fight, then the survivors fled. Demon raced through the carnage to impale fleeing men or bite their heads off.

Lucy was sitting in the front porch of Ruby's house when the first shots were fired. Sitting up she noted that all around Witch Hill, shooting had started.

"What's going on out here?" Kouta asked as he came out.

Stray rounds from a machine gun took that moment to come racing in. A couple hit the wall, one splintered the doorway and another struck Kouta.

"Kouta!" Lucy cried as he was thrown back into the house. Racing over to him, Lucy saw Kouta lying still, his eyes open in shock, and the blood spreading out around his body.

"NOOOO!" Lucy screamed as she cradled his head. "Kouta, talk to me. Kouta ... KOUTA ... **KOUTA!"**

Lucy's eyes flared, her face crimson in rage. Even here, humans could not leave them alone. They had killed her Kouta. They were ALL going to die! Lucy used her vectors to race at the quickly diminishing human army. Jumping over the remains of the battle, she landed in a pocket of soldiers trying to hide. With a scream of rage, she slashed the shocked soldiers apart, ripping some in half, beheading others. Before their blood and body parts hit the ground, she was off to look for more humans to destroy. Tears in her eyes, she ripped apart more soldiers, then as she got to a collection of houses where people had come out to see what was going on, she slashed all of them to ribbons be it man, woman, or child. A police car came at her, siren wailing. She jumped up to slash through the doors and windshield, killing the men inside. The ripped up and bloodied car went on to crash into a house.

.

Tsukune came running out into the courtyard to see General Khan giving orders to a messenger demon as he looked down at a map hanging in the air in front of him. To Kahn's side, was a covered body.

"What's the situation?" Tsukune demanded as he strode up.

In his deep, rough voice, General Kahn explained. "Human attacked us from the south side. We're counter-attacked all along the front. Here, in the south, we've gotten through, and are driving the remains of them around to the west and into the sea. Here in the east and north, we've broken through and are cleaning up the remains. The dragons have cleared the air over us, and are headed to the airports to prevent a strike by their aircraft. Once we have the area cleared, we will reform to march on the city."

Tsukune blinked, not believing this was happening. Stunned by the news, he looked at the blood stained white sheet that was covering a body. Blood pooled around the sheet. "Who's that?" he asked weakly.

"Lady Kurumu, M'Lord. The humans killed her when they attacked."

"Kurumu?" Tsukune asked weakly. Kurumu was dead? Feeling disconnected, he went over to pull the sheet back, exposing her head and clump of brain hanging out. He vomited.

Watching the map, General Khan announced, "M'Lord, the dragons have reached the closest airports. They caught almost every craft on the ground, the airports are burning wrecks. Three planes were in flight, we got them all."

Tsukune crimped his eyes shut. This was insane! Any hope of not stopping this disaster without going back in time was lost. There were too many dead, the war had begun. "Where's Moka?" he asked weakly.

"Lady Moka is directing the magical attack against the two ships that appeared, M'Lord."

A bright explosion caught Tsukune's attention. Far out to sea, a ship was burning as it went down. Another came in sight, and a ball of light sped out to hit it. That ship exploded.

"I have to stop this," Tsukune croaked. Getting up, he ran inside.

.

Mayor Hiromasa's office was in turmoil. Reports had been coming in about the monsters attacking. As the reports dwindled then stopped, the local airport send in a cry for help. Dragons were destroying planes and burning the terminals filled with people. It was mass panic.

"My god, do we have any forces left?" Mayor Hiromasa asked a stunned general.

The general shook his head. "They were wiped out. Evacuate the city, the monsters are headed this way. We have nothing left to stop them."

"Evacuate?" Mayor Hiromasa asked, then cried, "That's impossible! We'll never get the people out in time!" His mind reeled, how had things gotten this out of control? Why hadn't he gone up to Witch Hill and talked to Lord Aono instead of agreeing they needed to send all of their police and SAT? Turning to Mr. Kendo, he cried, "What do we do?"

Kobayashi grinned as he said, "It looks like you die." He then grabbed the Mayor by the throat and snapped his neck. In a motion too fast for a human to see, he raced around and killed the rest of the men in the room the same way.

Sauntering out to the reception area, Kobayashi said to the secretary, "Excuse me, could you stand up please?"

She stood up and upon locking eyes with him, froze in place from his hypnotic gaze. In a whisper, she found the will to ask, "What are you doing to me?"

In an almost apologetic tone, Kobayashi replied, "Killing you. I am a bit hungry, and you are lunch."

Wrapping an arm around her, Kobayashi bit into her neck and began to feed. Terrified, the woman's heart rate soared as she struggled in vain. Feeling the increased pulse made him pleased, her adrenalin would help her heart keep pumping blood for him. He laid her on her desk, then knelt down as he tipped her body upside down to get every drop of blood possible. She twitched in defiance, then went limp as her legs, torso, then arms went numb from no longer having any blood flow. Her heart picked up speed as it tried desperately to pump blood that was no longer there. Her eyes glazed over as he sucked out the last of her blood and her empty heart quivered and failed.

Kobayashi let her corpse tumble to the floor, licked his lips, and went down to the phone vault where all the communications were routed. He ripped out wires and pulled the computer banks off the wall, then turned the breakers off and snapped them.

Satisfied he had delayed any reaction by the humans, Kobayashi commenced to go to the police station, the last place where a organized effort to combat the Witch Hill forces could be mounted. This was going to an epic war that would teach both human and yokai that they could never live together.

Kobayashi also knew that Apollo would be coming. That was fine, he had a plan and plenty of human meat bags to store up his energy. This time he'd be fully prepared for the fight that was to come, and Apollo would be livid in rage. He would be at full power, and Apollo would be careless.

.

Miss Nekonome called out, "Stay calm, and keep your head down." Bullets pinged off the magical shield Ruby had put up around the school building. Outside, the students could see the battle getting farther away.

Standing by the window, Kokoa frowned. "I want to go fight, my sister is out there," she stated.

"Miss Shuzen, return to your seat, meow!"

Even as Miss Nekonome tried to get her to sit down, more students line the windows. A human girl asked, "Miss Nekonome, what's happening out there?"

"I want to go fight," Kokoa grumbled.

"Me too, it looks like a good one!" another boy announced.

"Everyone return to your seats, MEOW!" Miss Nekonome cried in vain.

.

Apollo walked into Lord Shuzen's castle to fine Kahlua talking to a teddy bear with one eye.

"Now we'll go see Mr. Bunny and take him his tea," she said in a litttle-girl voice. Upon seeing Apollo, her face broke into a bright smile. She dropped the bear and ran into Apollo, hugging him.

"OH, my husband is here! I'm so happy to see you!" she cried happily as she bounced in place. "Come on, we're going to serve tea to Mr. Bunny!"

Apollo laughed at her innocence as he returned her hug. "Kahula dear, I'm not your husband," he reminded her.

Casting him a hurt look she asked, "But you will be, won't you?"

"I need to see your father," Apollo stated.

"OH YES! You need his permission to marry me. Let's go!" Kahlua cried, grabbed his hand and jerked him off his feet as she raced to her father's study.

Apollo managed to get his feet back under him as they ran through the hallway.

"This makes me so happy, we'll be able to play ever day!" Kahlua cried as she towed Apollo along. "I wanted to marry Tsukune for a while, but you're much more handsome, and I don't think Moka wants me to marry Tsukune. Although I love Moka and Tsukune, I think being in bed with her, Tsukune and Kurumu, we might not all fit," Kahlua rattled on.

Apollo was suddenly jerked in a slingshot motion as Kahlua stopped and ducked into a doorway. He was agile enough to avoid ramming the door casing. He was then facing Issa, who was doing some paperwork at his desk.

"Father! Father, Apollo has something he wants to ask you!" Kahlua cried happily.

Issa looked up and let out a huff. "Apollo," he said in an unhappy tone as he dropped his pen on the desk. "What brings you here?"

Apollo wanted desperately to pound Issa into the ground for starting the tensions on Witch Hill. Kahlua's innocence had tempered his mood enough that he decided to make Issa face the facts before he killed him. "I talked to that girl, Chris. She told me when Kahlua here brought her that doll house, she was covered on blood and her clothes were torn up. You had Kahlua kill those men in that house as well as Ren, didn't you?"

Issa raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Yes, those men were yokai Yakuza trying to take over my territory. I fail to see how that is your business."

"Wait, that guy Ren is dead?" Kahlua asked. "You mean that snow fairy's boyfriend?"

Apollo turned to her. "You didn't kill him?"

Kahlua shook her head. "No, I only killed the men Father told me to," she said, putting a finger to her lower lip. "I don't like killing, so I only do what I'm told."

"In case you didn't know, that gang has plans of kidnapping Moka or her children to put pressure on me. I can't have that," Issa stated.

"How did you find that out?"

"Kobayashi told me about them. I sent a spy, and found out he was right."

"Kobayashi, huh?" Apollo grated.

With a huff, Issa said, "I know you don't like how I do business, but I think you would agree that removing a threat to my daughter was the correct thing to do."

"What happened to Ren?" Apollo asked.

Issa waved a hand. "I have no idea. He is, or rather was a good spy. I have no reason to harm him."

"You do know Witch Hill is surrounded by a small army," Apollo grated.

Issa stood up. "What?"

"From what I gather, Mizore was found over Ren's body. The police arrested her. Moka and Lucy went to get her back and Lucy killed a policeman. Now, both sides are ready to shoot, and it will be all your fault if they do," Apollo said, eyeing him angrily.

Issa turned to Kahlua and asked, "Didn't you give the police a suggestion that it was only a gang war?"

"I did, Father," Kahlua replied. "They seemed satisfied at the time."

"It was Ren's death that caused this fiasco," Apollo stated.

"We had nothing to do with Ren's death," Issa stated firmly. He then added, "If things are that bad, Moka and Akemi need to come home. In the mean time, I'll see what it takes to get the situation calmed down."

A servant came in, panting from a run. Wearing stricken face, she said, "Lord Shuzen, I got a call from our contact by Witch Hill. The humans started shooting, and the yokai attacked them! He said Mrs. Aono Kurumu is dead, and the humans around the hill have been defeated. A yokai army is headed for the city."

**"DAMN!"** Issa spat.

Apollo eyed Issa as his fists clenched. **"This is YOUR fault!"** he roared. In a blur of speed, he punched Issa in the chest, knocking him back through the wall of his study, through the next room and out the windows.

Kahlua watched her father blast through the house. "Uh oh, you ruined that nice portrait, Apollo," she said innocently.

Putting his hands on her shoulders, Apollo asked in a pleading voice, "Kahlua, did you see Ren at all when you went to kill those Yakuza?"

Kahlua thought, then shook her head. "I didn't see him. The only one I saw that I recognized was Mr. Kobayashi, he watched me going to the Yakuza house, but he didn't interfere," she explained.

Kobayashi again. It was time to get rid of that trouble maker!

.

Tsukune raced up to Yukari's magic room. The sight of Kurumu's half closed eyes and the large hole in her head dominated his mind. Although at first he hadn't been thrilled with having Kurumu for a wife, she was very loving, and an excellent mother. He had fallen in love with her completely. She didn't deserve dying like that! Moka didn't want him risking going back in time to stop this horrid chain of events but he had to stop this before he lost Moka too!

Running in, Tsukune found Yukari looking into her bowl. "Yukari!" he cried and pulled her up to look at him. "I need you to open a portal back to just before Ren got killed."

Yukari scowled at him. Angry at him, she said, "Baka! We all told you you can't save Ren without dooming yourself! Not only that, if I send you back, Moka is sure to kill me, if Kurumu doesn't do it!"

"Kurumu is dead," Tsukune stated, which caused Yukari gape at him. "I need to find out who is behind this, right now!"

Tears came to Yukari's eyes. She shook her head. In a more subdued tone, she said, "I can't send you back, I won't do it."

Tsukune was ready to plead with her. Pleading wouldn't change her mind. He had to trick her. Cupping her face, he said softly, "Yukari, I just need to see who is behind this. That's all."

Yukari turned her back to him. "No," she stated.

He had to try harder. Doing his best to use a hypnotic tone, Tsukune hugged her from behind. "Yukari, my angel, I won't go through, I only need to see what happened." He kissed her neck, which caused her to shiver. "And I don't know why I have held off marrying you for so long," he added in a smooth tone.

Yukari perked up. "What?"

"It's just that you are so sexy," Tsukune said smoothly. Reaching up, he fondled a small breast, "And these are so damn cute. Long sexy legs, and your ass ... I just want to grip it and hold on."

Turning in his arms, Yukari gazed up at him. "Really? You'd really marry me?"

"Oh yes," Tsukune assured her in a breath. "But I must find out who's behind all this first. Like I said, I will not go back, but I need a portal to see everything that happened. After this is over, I'll fulfill all your dreams," Tsukune said as he gazed into her eyes. "Please, find Ren and open the portal."

"OK," Yukari said in a daze.

Tsukune hated tricking Yukari, but now it wasn't just Ren's life. It was Kurumu, and all the others who were dying in a senseless war. He kissed Yukari gently, and coaxed her to perform her magic.

Tsukune waited impatiently as Yukari cast her spells. In the center of the magic circle a vertical disk of vapor formed. The center cleared to show a night time scene. As it grew clearer, he was able to make out Ren squatting behind a tree, watching a large single story house. Ren's view looked over the classic post walls.

"I've got it," Yukari said.

Tsukune then felt something wrap around him. A chain had snaked up to wrap his middle. The other end was anchored to the wall. Yukari was making sure he couldn't go nto the portal. He returned his attention to the scene before him.

"You must not interact with anyone in the past. If you do, I will close the portal," Yukari said firmly.

"I won't," he assured her. The chain would break easily with a vector. By the time she closed the portal, he'd be through. That was fine, he knew he was lost the instant he went through anyway.

In the scene before him, Kahlua came skipping down the sidewalk. The guard at the front gate smiled at her as she approached. Kahlua stopped skipping to walk normally as she began sobbing.

"What's wrong? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be crying," he said as he eyed her body.

"I'm sorry," Kahula whined, then her blades shot out and she cut him in half and decapitated him at the same time on a double stroke. "I really am sorry," she told the corpse, and went in.

Ren was watching Kahlua race through the house, killing and crying. Tsukune watched Ren.

Upon seeing a dark form behind Ren, Tsukune shot vectors out to wrap around the tree, cut the chain, and grab the form around the middle. Tsukune pulled himself through to get between them.

The second of disorientation going though earned Tsukune a knife in the back. The impact of the knife drove him into Ren and the tree. It also disabled his vectors. Spinning around, Tsukune turned to see Mr. Kobayashi standing there, gapping at him.

Kobayashi's face turned into a snarl. "What are you doing here!" he demanded.

It all fit. Tsukune knew that Kahlua killed the Yakuza, now he knew Kobayashi had killed Ren and most likely caused all the chaos. "Ren, run!" Tsukune croaked as he pulled the knife out. The portal was gone. Tsukune only had one thing left to do, kill Kobayashi before he was doomed to the time loop. He HAD to save Witch Hill, and that meant getting rid of Kobayashi.

"Answer me boy, what are you doing here?" Kobayahsi growled as Ren fled.

Tsukune stared at Kobayashi as he brought up every ounce of yokai power he could muster. He didn't waste words, not that he could breathe very well. He attacked.


	17. Chapter 17

Capu4 ch17 **Trial by fire **

Tsukune impacted a tree upside down, shattering it with his body. He got up again, glaring at Kobayashi. For all his power and his determination, he had not even landed a blow.

"Are you insane?" Kobayashi asked as he stared at Tsukune. "You come here and attack me for no reason, and with no explanation. What is wrong with you?"

Tsukune could breathe now, but he was injured from his impact. Eyeing Kobayashi, he approached cautiously. With no vectors, he wasn't able to do anything against the ancient vampire. Kobayashi's power was too strong. Still, he had to try. Tsukune knew his life was over, he HAD to find a way to kill him.

"Stop now, or you will force me to teach you a VERY painful lesson!" Kobayashi warned.

"Can't stop," Tsukune told Kobayashi and himself. He charged again, then at the last second, he halted and ducked. Kobayashi fell for it, swinging high over his head. Tsukune grabbed his ankle and jerked up hard, pulling Kobayashi off his feet. Swinging Kobayashi around, Tsukune stood up and threw Kobayashi at a rock, then immediately raced over to hit him again.

With a cry of rage, Kobayashi stopped his impact and spun in place. He punched the same time Tsukune did. Tsukune's punch shook his head. Kobayashi's punch made Tsukune's head recoil, and knocked him ten meters back to land in a heap.

Straightening his clothes, Kobayashi said, "Very well then. I hope you enjoy pain. I will ensure you never challenge me again."

Tsukune rolled to get up and caught a foot in his stomach. Blasting out a breath at the impact, Tsukune flew high in the air to land on a road. He hit and bounced, then rolled to a stop. Gasping for breath and holding his aching stomach, Tsukune got back to his feet.

Kobayashi was there to hit him again. This time with a straight kick to the chest. Tsukune went limp as he flew in a vertical spin another to land near a corner and bounce into the guardrail. Dazed, Tsukune untangled himself as he sucked in air to get his breath back. A hand grabbed the back of his collar and hoisted him upright.

Kobayashi's growl was in his ear. "You have not hope of defeating me, why are you attacking me? **ANSWER ME!**"

Kobayashi was close enough to hit. Tsukune balled his fist and rammed it in Kobayashi's face.

**"ARGHHH!"** Kobayashi yelled in anger. Tossing Tsukune in the air, he caught him by the ankle and slammed him down into the pavement. The pavement split and cracked from the impact. Kobayashi then pulled him up in an arc over her head, and slammed him down again. Twice more, Kobayashi lifted Tsukune in an arc and slammed him down, leaving holes in the road. Seeing Tsukune was limp, Kobayashi threw him high in the air over some trees, then raced after him.

All Tsukune knew now was he had landed hard on something else. His whole body hurt so bad he could barely move. He tried to get up and fell back. His legs just would not work. He tried again, pulling all his effort into just standing up. Balancing carefully, he managed to get to his feet to face Kobayashi, who was watching him with his arms folded over his chest.

"You will explain now, or you will be in greater pain," Kobayashi intoned.

Tsukune tried to take a step forward and collapsed. Panting in gasps, he pushed himself up to fall again.

Walking around him, Kobayashi mussed, "How did you find me? I was very careful not to be followed."

_For Moka, for Kurumu, for everyone, I have to get up and fight! _Tsukune coached himself. He rose up again, balancing precariously. In a fast sweep, Kobayashi kicked his legs out from under him, knocking him back down.

"You can stop this," Kobayashi said in a normal tone. "All you have to do is explain yourself. You will do no one any good by committing suicide."

He was right, Tsukune realized. There was no way he was going to beat Kobayashi with raw strength. He had to be smart. He needed time to heal to be able to fight, and he needed an advantage. AT the very least, an equalizer Tsukune blinked to clear his vision. He was in the woods. He crawled painfully toward a tree.

"**SPEAK!**" Kobayashi commanded. "Why did you attack me?"

Tsukune kept quiet and continued to crawl. His ribs were healing, and he was now able to take deeper breaths. He didn't try to stand up, although he thought he might be able to. He crawled for the tree.

Kobayashi grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to the tree. Tsukune recoiled and fell limp. Rolling over, he kept crawling. He saw a clearing a ways off, and a bench. Was that a park?

Again, Tsukune was lifted up, then something slammed into his back, propelling him into another tree. He managed to deflect off the tree, landing on his back. Moaning out in more pain than he was feeling, Tsukune rolled back over and kept crawling.

"You are stubborn, but I will break you of that if I have to break every bone in your body," Kobayashi said. He picked Tsukune up again. This time he shoved Tsukune harder into a tree. Tsukune turned his head to avoid a face-first impart. Bouncing back as the tree shuddered, he felt Kobayashi catch him.

"Do you really want to die?" Kobayashi asked smoothly.

"Dead anyway," Tsukune whispered. He took a deliberately slow punch at Kobayashi's face. Kobayashi caught his hand.

"No, but I will make you think you are," Kobayashi said, then pulled his arm out. He pulled down as he brought his knee up, snapping Tsukune's arm. Tsukune cried out in real pain. Kobayashi sent him flying again to land in bushes.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Tsukune looked at the clearing. It was a park with benches, a kid's play area and a beautiful fountain.

A fountain. Fountains were filled with water. If he wasn't able to beat Kobayashi, he could take Kobayashi with him.

Tsukune's world tumbled as Kobayashi casually flipped him up over the brush and onto mowed grass. Tsukune cried out from the impact wrenching his broken arm. Holding his arm, Tsukune got up, making a show of not being able to rise to his feet. He could feel his arm knitting back together. He had to get closer to that fountain.

"Not a very good vampire, are you?" Kobayashi teased. "Oh yes, you're part human also, isn't that right? Don't prolong this any more, save yourself and tell me WHY you attacked me."

"Fuck you," Tsukune mumbled.

"Very rude," Kobayashi noted, and kicked Tsukune's feet out from under him again. Putting a foot under Tsukune, Kobayashi flipped him in the air, making him tumble to land onto the stone pavers around the fountain.

"You are not a pure blood vampire, therefore weak. Shall we see how you react to water?" Kobayashi asked.

Tsukune shook his head, he wasn't ready yet! He had to get enough strength back to force Kobayashi into the water.

"Ahh, something that got your attention, hmm?" Kobayashi asked in a smooth, mocking tone, and pitched Tsukune up against the concrete base of the fountain. Walking slowly toward Tsukune, Kobayashi said, "This is your last chance, boy. You will speak to me, or you are taking a running water bath. Do you now what pure running water does to vampires? It is NOT a pleasant death."

Tsukune sat up and eyed him, panting out breaths. His arm felt healed, he didn't dare try it. He needed another few precious seconds. "Tell me," he croaked.

Speaking like a teacher, Kobayashi looked down on him and said, "It is very nasty. You see, water corrodes a vampire's skin. While that is very painful, running water also washes away the damaged skin, causing the flesh underneath to be exposed, and corroded in turn. If you are in there long enough, it will eat you down to the bone. Screaming in agony every bit of the way. I may not be able to pull you out in time."

"..."

"What was that?" Kobayashi asked, leaning closer.

Tsukune noted he was leaning close enough, Shooting his arms up, he grabbed Kobayashi by the collar and his crotch. Lifting the vampire, Tsukune screamed, "**YOU FIRST!" **He body slammed Kobayashi down into the water, diving in to hold Kobayashi down.

Lightning filled the air around the fountain and shot up into the sky as two unearthly wails filled the air. Kobyashi kicked and screamed, and managed to kick Tsukune off him. Tsukune landed just outside the fountain as Kobayashi flailed to get up.

"**No escape**!" Tsukune roared. His whole being was filled with pain as lightning danced across his skin. Most of his power was gone, but so was Kobayashi's. He struggled up and shoved Kobayashi back in. Falling from weakness and the agony, Tsukune dropped onto his back. His skin was blistered, arcs of energy popped the blisters to show ruined flesh underneath. He was dying, but that was OK. He was saving everyone he loved.

To the side, Kobayashi flailed into view, dry swimming up out of the fountain. His body was smoking, his skin was mostly gone. His screams fill the air. He flopped down on the ground to roll in agony.

Tsukune was in great pain, every one of his nerves endings felt like they were on fire. He was encouraged by the sight of Kobayashi's agony. Struggling up, Tsukune fixed his mind on finishing what he started. As Tsukune approached Kobayashi, Kobayashi tried to crawl away. For some reason, Tsukune's the pains were dulled by the knowledge that he would change history, that he was going to save his loved ones. It gave him the strength to keep going. He grabbed Kobayashi and hauled him back to the fountain.

Upon lifting Kobayashi, the vampire grabbed Tsukune just as tightly with bony fingers. With most of his skin gone, Kobayashi's face was a nightmare to look at. "You die with me!" Kobayashi hissed with a mouth that had no lips.

"I planned on it," Tsukune barked back at him.

Tsukune went to dive over into the fountain, pushing Kobayashi before him. Something caught him and threw him back. He heard screaming, and thought it was him. This couldn't be happening, not now! Not when he was so close! Wailing out in betrayal, Tsukune struggled back to his feet.

In the fountain, Kobayashi was flailing, splashing water as his gurgled screams pealed out. Hands became bones and flew away as arms lost their flesh and turned to bone. Beside the fountain, a robed figure stood watching.

Tsukune staggered toward the figure. He studied the man, not believing what he was seeing. Someone else grabbed him and announced, "I got him!"

Tsukune saw Apollo turn to him and give a nod. "Take him back, I'll finish this."

"No," Tsukune said weakly. He was suppose to finish this. He then felt himself be picked up in a bride's carry. He was looking at the swell of a well endowed chest. Looking up, he saw Kurumu was carrying him. He wanted to hug her, to tell her how happy he was that she was alive, to kiss her and hold her tight. Now that Kobayashi was done for, he felt weak. All he could get out was, "Ya-hooo." Tsukune then passed out.

.

Tsukune awoke covered in nothing but bandages as he looked up at the canopy of his bed. Feeling someone beside him, he saw Inner Moka sitting up reading a book. Of course, it was 'The Art of War'. "Hey," he said weakly.

Moka eyed him. "If you do anything that stupid ever again, I'll be forced to tell the kids their father died as a total Baka," she said evenly.

"It worked, didn't it?" Tsukune asked. "We're not being attacked any more, are we?"

"What are you talking about?" Moka asked as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Attacked by who?"

"Morning," Kurumu chimed as she came striding in. "Moka, I got Chris off to school and the babies are ready for breakfast. Ahh, our Baka is awake," she beamed.

"Kurumu," Tsukune said, grinning like an idiot. "I am so happy to see you."

Kurumu cast a curious glance at Moka. "What have you been doing to him?"

Moka shrugged. "He woke up this way. I think he got water in his brain."

Kurumu shifted her gaze to Tsukune and frowned, "Possible," she mussed. Sitting down on the bed, she grabbed Tsukune by the hair in the back of his head, and firmly said, "If you EVER do something that foolish again, I'll kill you myself!"

Tsukune laughed. It was so good to see her alive and well.

"He has gone crazy, hasn't he?" Kurmu asked tentativly.

"Yes," Moka agreed with a sigh. "We can't leave him alone. Who knows what he will do, or where he will end up." She flipped a page and kept reading.

Tsukune asked, "So, what happened?"

Kurumu gapped at him. "You don't remember?"

"No, nothing," he insisted.

Letting out a huff, Kurumu explained. "You disappeared right after that Yakuza place was hit. Ren and Mizore came to tell us Ren saw who did it. Ren also saw you there, but that was the last place anyone had seen you. Mayor Hiromasa help us put out a city-wide search for you, but you were gone! John and Ageha went with Ren and Ruby to locate the place you were last seen. John tracked a disturbance to a fountain in the park nearby. Ruby told them there was a big fight at that fountain. Ruby scryed it out to find you fighting Kobayashi, and loosing pretty badly. We got Apollo to go rescue you before Kobayashi killed you! Then you dove into a water fountain! You were soaked, so I had to go retrieve you, Moka couldn't do it."

"Ahh, OK," Tsukune said, satisfied with her explanation. He'd done what he had to do, and wasn't even doomed for eternity.

Kurumu scowled at him and cried, "Why are you smiling? If we hadn't come to get you, he would have killed you!"

"I know," Tsukune said, grinning at her.

Letting out a grumble, Kurumu got up and walked around the bed. "Moka, I'm heading off to an early band practice. I'll be back in time so you can make your classes. Take care of Mr. Baka for me."

"I won't let him do anything foolish," Moka assured her.

"Kurumu!" Tsukune called.

"Yes," Kurumu said as she turned in a huff.

"I love you, even though I'm a Baka," Tsukune said with a giggle.

"I love you too, but do that again and I'll HELP Moka kick your ass," Kurumu stated, and left.

"Whip me, beat me, but respect me in the end," Tsukune said with a chuckle.

Moka closed her book. Studying him, she said, "Tsukune, you act like someone who is greatly relieved to be alive, and you should be. You also act like you are very relieved Kurumu was here too. What happened?"

Tsukune told her about the killing of Ren, the policeman and how the tensions rose and eventually broke out into open combat. "And Kurumu had been killed. I was terrified you were next, so I had to trick Yukari into sending me back, even if I was going to die or end up in a time loop as Ruby called it. I had to stop the war, no matter what."

"How did you trick Yukari?"

"I promised I'd marry her and I would not try to go back. I feel bad for lying to her, but I that was the only thing I could do," he explained.

Moka reached over and pinched his cheek. Staring at him, she said, "I am proud to have such a brave mate. But if Yukari remembers about your promise, we're going to have a war right here in our bedroom. You know that, don't you?"

"Ummm, yeah," Tsukune agreed with a nervous chuckle. "With history changed, I'm sure she won't remember a thing."

Moka kissed him on the forehead and said, "For your sake, I hope not. Tell no one else of this."

"Have a look at my wedding dress!"

The voice shot terror through Tsukune, he was sure it was Yukari, getting ready for their marriage. Shooting up to sit and gape at her, he saw it was Mizore holding up a wedding gown that was light blue on top, fading to ice-white. He flopped back in relief.

"Isn't it good?" Mizore asked.

"It looks fantastic, Mizore." Moka assured her. "Tsukune is out of it now. He's had a hard time."

"Um. Our wedding is at the end of the month on Sunday in my village."

"We'll be there," Moka assured her.

Walking down the hall, Mizore called out, "Chris, look at my wedding dress."

"Sir John and Ageha are all right too?" Tsukune asked.

"No one is injured or missing, and we have good relations with the Mayor and the city," Moka said. Shifting to slide down beside him, Moka licked his ear and said in a low, seductive tone, "Whatever you did, it worked. Once you get well, plan on unrelenting sex. That is, unless Yukari has a good memory."

"Whatever you say, my love."


	18. Chapter 18

Capu4 ch18 **Public Eye**

Tsukune had been asked to make a statement to the press by Mayor Hiromasa. Apparently, he had tried to sooth people's anxiety about the 'yokai battle' at that house within the city, but they wanted to hear about it from a yokai. In the Mayor's conference room, a crowd of reporters and journalists waited with TV cameras, microphones and note pads.

In the Mayor's office, Kurumu stood by Tsukune, gripping his arm like she was afraid he was going to do something crazy. Tsukune was dressed in a business suit, Kurumu a knee length, short sleeve light blue dress for a 'formal' occasion.

A man came in to speak to the Mayor. "Sir, they are ready for you."

"Thank you," The mayor said, then asked Tsukune, "Shall we?"

"By all means, Mr Mayor."

Leaning close, Kurumu whispered in Tsukune's ear, "I can charm them if you need me to."

Tsukune winced and shook his head. "Please, don't," he begged softly.

They walked into the conference room to the flash of cameras. The Mayor took the podium first. "Greetings, citizens. I have asked Lord Aono to come and explain some things to you about recent events that have been asked to be explained by a yokai. If you please, Lord Aono," he said, and stepped aside.

Tsukune took the podium with Kurumu clinging to his arm. He tried to shrug her away, but she wasn't having it. "Good morning, everyone," Tsukune said with a bow. "I guess the best way to start, is if you start asking. So, who's first?"

A man to the side pointed to the forest of hands that had gone up.

A news reporter stood up. The man glanced at his notepad and asked, "Lord Aono, the police and city officials have been very vague about that indecent they called a 'Yakuza hit' that killed seven people. Could you shed some light on that event. Were there any yokai involved?"

"There were yokai involved," Tsukune said, then explained, "From what we have found, a Yokai Yakuza boss was moving into an area of another. Normally, this would not cause a battle, but there was a third powerful yokai who saw this as an opportunity to spark chaos. This one, who caused the fight between the other two bosses, had also been planning to cause havoc in the city by spreading deceit, just as he had with the two boss Yakuza. That Yokai is no more. I have also talked to the remaining Yokai boss to ensure he will not cause trouble in our city. Believe me when I say I will be keeping a close watch on him."

A woman stood up this time. "I have two questions, can you name those Yokai involved, and what do you mean by 'our city'?" she asked.

"For your first question, no, I will not name the party that was used to try and create chaos. Although not innocent in legal terms, he did nothing to cause the situation. As for the second part, I call this our city, because I was born and raised here. I feel responsible, just as Mayor Hiromasa does, about the well being of everyone. If someone wants to make trouble here, they will have to deal with me."

Another hand was picked and another woman got up with her notepad. "Lord Aono, what type of yokai are you? And you give us your history?"

Tsukune nodded, and tried to keep the story short. "As I said, I lived here all my life until I went to High School. At the time, I was completely human. That changed at Yokai Academy. To save my life, Lady Moka, who is also now my beloved wife, shared her vampire blood with me. In my last year, Moka and I were dating, and by a slip of my own doing, I got tuned into a full vampire. My last year of school was on Witch Hill where I graduated, and recently, I have become a member of Queen Akasha's court. Since I was formerly human, and I do have a special connection to this city, her Majesty has tasked me with keeping peace and good will between Yokai and human."

Another hand was picked. The man all but jumped up. "You are Aono Tsukune right, from middle school?" he asked quickly, then as if remembering his question, he asked, "Some people are talking about a combined yokai and human police force to help the police in the event of another yokai situation. Would you be acceptable to that?"

Tsukune looked at the man, then smiled and waved. "Hey, Ken! Look at me, quite a change right? Seriously, if Mayor Hiromasa wants my support in forming such a police force, I would be grateful. Like humans, ninety percent of all yokai only want to live in peace with their neighbors and be able to live their lives. It only takes a very few to do great damage, and give all yokai a bad name. I want to do everything I can to prevent that. Having yokai patrolling with human police, or at the very least close by to assist them if needed, I believe anyway, would be better for everyone."

Ken stayed standing and asked, "Is that Kurumu the singer with you?"

"Yes, Ken. This is my wife, Lady Kurumu, who also enjoys singing with a band." Seeing Ken still standing, Tsukune added, "Ahh, Ken, other people have questions too," which caused a chuckle through the crowd.

"Yes, sorry!" he said and sat down.

The next man to stand up asked, "Excuse me, Lord Aono, didn't you say Lady Moka was your wife?"

"I did. I am married to both Lady Moka and Lady Kurumu." Holding up a hand Tsukune said with a wince, "Please don't ask why, it's complicated."

"Is your Moka this Akashiya Moka, the vampire princess?"

"That's right, her mother is Queen Akasha."

Hirata Kiku was next. Upon standing, she said, "Greetings Lord Aono, Lady Aono, it's good to see you again. You mentioned you will not give any names of those yokai who were involved with those murders, may I ask why?"

Tsukune paused a few seconds, then said, "Miss Hirata. Do you remember those horror movies where if you speak the name of evil, it had a tendency to become real and wreck your life? It's along those lines for the one who was guilty. For those who were not guilty, only foolish enough to be taken in by him, I would rather protect their family names. There are still people who could be hurt needlessly. I do not believe that the sins of the father should be cast onto the children."

A younger woman stood up. "I have a question for Lady Kurumu, and Lady Moka if she was here. How can you share a husband? Is it some sort of political requirement you have to endure?" she asked, flicking her eyes at Tsukune.

Kurumu leaned over to the microphone. Her reply came across in a hard tone. "Sorry, we don't do politics. We do as we feel. If we don't have a problem with each other, or sharing Tsukune, why should you?"

Quietly, but still heard by everyone due to the microphone, Tsukune said, "Ummm, Kurumu? That was a bit harsh."

"Well look at how she asked!" Kurumu said much too loudly. "Just by her face I can tell she can't get her own man, and by the jealous feel I get from her, I bet she can't get ANY man."

"Uugh," Tsukune groaned and put a hand to his forehead as the woman turned crimson in rage. People snorted out laughs as they tried to hide their mirth.

Looking at the woman, Kurumu asked, "When was the last time you had a boyfriend?"

"Hon, leave her alone," Tsukune begged. To the man calling on people for their questions, he asked,"Can we go on, please?"

The woman shot up and stormed out of the room.

"See?" Kurumu asked, pointing to the fleeing form. A few rounds of laughter went up.

"Next question, please," Tsukune begged.

Another woman got up. Casting a glance at the doorway, she said, "Wow, I'm almost afraid to ask Lady Kurumu my question." More laughter rose. The woman gathered her strength and asked, "Lady Kurumu, You seem content with your marriage situation. I think the real question is how are you able to do that? Most women would never accept their husband having a girlfriend, let alone another wife that lives with them."

"It's not that hard," Kurumu told her. "Myself and Moka ... OK, and a few others at the beginning, have been struggling over Tsukune since we first met him. He is a very good man. He is thoughtful and kind, and he has done the nearly impossible for us at the peril of his own life. Do I wish sometimes that he was mine alone? Certainly. The fact is, he is truly in love with Moka as well. They have both pulled me through some tough times, including saving my life, and have been my closest friends. I realize our marriage is unusual, but if we help and care for each other, isn't that what really matters? I see Moka's child, Akemi, as my own daughter, and I know Moka sees my Kumiko as hers. I think what really matters is the love, respect, support, and dedication you have for each other."

One woman got up and started clapping. Then another, then a few men. Soon, the entire room was cheering her words.

Tsukune eyed the sight, surprised at the round of applause Kurumu was receiving. "Wow," he said.

As the applause died down, the woman asked, "Is there a reason you are here, and not Lady Moka?"

"Moka had classes she needed to attend, so today I have the responsibility to stay by Tsukune's side and keep this Baka out of trouble," Kurumu explained.

Tsukune flushed as the room roared with laughter. This was not at all going as planned.

Quickly, Kurumu added, "What I mean is, that Tsukune had yet again tried to fight someone very much more older and powerful that he was. He could have been killed!"

A man got up and asked, "Was this someone like that Apollo that attacked Witch Hill?"

Kurumu nodded. "Yes, in fact Apollo saved Tsukune. I know it doesn't make sense, but Apollo isn't as bad as we thought he was."

"So, Apollo isn't evil?"

Shifting to directly in front of the mic, Kurumu said, "No, but he is just as much of a Baka as our Tsukune. He had made up his own mind about us before he even found out what was going on. I mean, come on! You don't go attacking people on an assumption!" she said, waving her free arm in the air.

Another woman stood up wearing a smirk and said, "You really don't do politics, do you, Lady Kurumu?"

Kurumu blinked at her. "No that's Tsukune's job. My job is being a wife and mother," she said simply. With a shrug she added, "OK, so I like to sing also, but that is mostly because I like to see people have a good time."

"I can see you are very good at what you do," the woman said.

"Thank you!" Kurumu beamed.

Tsukune managed to edge over in front of the microphone so he could answer questions.

Another man got up and asked, "Lady Kurumu, the vampires you live with, Lord Aono and Lady Moka, do they really bite people on the neck?"

Kurumu edged back over. "Moka only bites Tsukune. Tsukune usually bites me or Mizore, but with Mizore getting married, he'll probably have to bite the maids more often."

Tsukune edged back. "We never take much," he explained.

Kurumu's eyes flashed as she said with a big smile, "But ohhh, GOD is it good!"

"You like having him ... drink your blood?" the man asked with a wince.

"Oh yeeah," Kurumu said in a sensual tone. "It's really a YA-HOOO moment! And he doesn't just drink from my neck either," she said with a wink.

Tsukune looked to the Mayor for help. The man on the side raised his wrist and tapped his watch so everyone could see. Tsukune edged back over in front of the mic. "Well, folks, it looks like that's all the time we have. That you for coming and I hope I answered your questions." He bowed with Kurumu. Kurumu waved to everyone as Tsukune tried to look like he wasn't fleeing the room.

Making it outside into the vacant corridor, Tsukune sat down on a bench. He let out a tired breath. He hadn't expected Kurumu to take up half the press conference, let alone saying the things she did. Seeing him look worn, Kurumu sat on his lap. "Need a nip, sweetie?" she asked.

Looking up at her, Tsukune didn't know where to start. "Kurumu ... you can't go saying things like that in front of people!"

"They asked," she said defensively.

"Yes," he agreed with a huff, "They did."

Shifting to lean into him and kiss him, Kurumu said, "I think you really need a nip. I don't want to see you get weak."

Gazing into her lovely eyes, Tsukune kissed her as she cupped the back of his head and guided him to her neck. Holding each other tight, he kissed her neck then gently sank his fangs in and drew slowly.

"Ya-hooo!" Kurumu sang as her eyes fluttered in joy.

A run of flashbulbs went off. Tsukune then noted many pairs of feet nearby. Oh shit!

Tsukune pulled his fangs out and licked her neck clean as more cameras took pictures. Flushed with embarrassment, he helped Kurumu up. Kurumu wore a silly smile as Tsukune got up and led her away.

This was NOT what was suppose to happen!

.

On the television, the broadcast of the conference played in the cafeteria as students cheered and hooted at Kurumu's comments.

Moka sat between Kyoko and Sato, trying to hide.

Kyoko nudged Moka and said, "Hey, Moka? I don't think it was a good idea to let Kurumu go with Tsukune to that conference."

"Awww, come on, she was funny," Sato said with a big grin.

"I don't think princesses are suppose to be funny," Moka grumbled.

"Oh wow, look," Kyoko said, getting Moka's attention.

On television, Kurumu was on Tsukune's lap as they held each other tight. He was sucking her blood. Kurumu's feet were kicking slightly as she sounded out her "Ya-hooo!"

As boys cried, "WOOOHOOO!", and "Yeah BABY!", a girl watching the TV as she walked along carrying her tray stumbled into a table to crash down into others' food.

"Hell yeah, I'd suck on that!"

"I don't believe this," Moka groaned out as she blushed and tried to sink farther down into her seat.

"He's your husband," Sato sang, wearing a smirk.

"This is embarrassing," Moka whined. "Can we go?"

Kyoko got up. Scanning the room, she said, "Everyone's watching TV, now's a good time to go."

Like Tsukune on the TV, Moka fled the room.

.

Kurumu went with Tsukune to the university to meet Moka. Upon seeing them, Moka marched over to them red-faced.

"What in the HELL is wrong with you?" Moka asked, shifting her gaze between them. "You... you did that on television! Have you no sense of shame at all? What's next, live sex?"

Tsukune shrunk back from Moka's anger. "I wasn't thinking," he mumbled.

"No shit!" Moka spat. Turning to Kurumu, she growled, "And you're the LAST person that should be talking to reporters. No more, OK? Let Tsukune do the talking."

"They asked," Kurumu said defensively.

"No more," Moka said sternly.

Moka hooked her arm under Tsukune's free arm. "We're going to class. PLEASE stay away from television cameras, for all out sakes."

"All right, sheesh!" Kurumu replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'm going to band practice, see you later."

Tsukune knew he'd screwed up. He got a kiss from Kurumu, then heading to the lecture hall with Moka. Sheepishly, he said, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to draw her blood in front of everyone. I thought they were still in the press room."

"It's just embarrassing," Moka said with a huff. "Everyone we know including our families were watching. I would like to maintain SOME dignity."

"Moka, I'm really sorry. I was embarrassed too!" Tsukune said, angry at himself for letting that happen. "It's ... I have no excuse. I was getting hungry and ... and I didn't pay close enough attention to what was around me."

Moka wobbled into him and put a hand to her head. "Just be careful from now on," she said.

"I will," he assured her. "I am very sorry I disappointed you," Tsukune said sincerely.

Seeing the hurt puppy-dog look he was giving her, Moka cracked a grin and hugged him. "You're forgiven," she said.

"Moka," Tsukune said, wanting to take back his blatant indiscretion.

"Tsukune..." Moka said, seeing that he was as hurt, if not more than she was by the incedent.

"Moka..."

"Tsukune..."

They slowed, then stopped to clasp hands and gazed at each other.

"Moka,"

"Tsukune,"

"Moka,"

"Tsukune," Moka whispered as she put her arms around him.

_Capachuuuu_

Tsukune held Moka close as she got her snack, wishing they were home so they could do much more.

"HEY! Get a room!" Kyoko snapped.

Tsukune looked to see people had been following them. Several cell phones were pointed at them as people took videos. "Not again," he said with a groan.

Moka was strangely quiet under his arm as he led her to class.

.

Upon entering their loft, Kurumu noted a few men in wildly colored T-shirts with 'Music beat!' written in sparkling silver letters across the fronts. One was carrying a camera. Their manager, Iwasaka Kata, was talking to one of the men who bore a Mohawk haircut.

They turned to see Kurumu come in. "Ahh, Kurumu-chan, perfect timing!" Kata said, clapping her hands together. Coming up to Kurumu, she said "These men are here from Music Beat totalk to you. This will go a long way in helping to promote The Flying Yokai. I'm working with them to set up a Tokyo concert and this will help draw people to the concert. It's nothing too in-depth, just one to get your public acquainted with you. I brought a makeup girl for you, then we'll get started."

"OK," Kurumu said.

Kurumu was taken into the office where the makeup girl touched up some highlights for the camera. As the girl worked, Kata coached Kurumu saying, "Now remember, you're on your way to be an idol, so don't mention your family. Keep the focus on the band and your songs. Let him guide you along, he knows how to do these things,OK?"

"Sure," Kurumu said.

The makeup done, Kata stayed in the office and send Kurumu out to face the cameras. Upon shutting the door, mohawk man was in front of Kurumu.

The man with a Mohawk haircut thrust his arms out at her. "And HEEERE she is! The lead singer of the Flying Yokai, Aono Kurumu! Get ready, for a Ki-jo interview!"

"Who?" Kurumu asked.

"Miss Aono, I am Ki-jo from the show, Music beat! And all your fans are wondering about your songs. Like for instance, 'Yokai Love' has hit number three on the music charts, and "What it means to be young is number two, about to become number one!" he said excitedly as he raised a finger.

"Ahh, it's Mrs. Aono," Kurumu explained, dazed by the hyper man. "What did you want to know?"

"Awww man!" Ki-jo said, spinning to the camera. "Well all you Kurumu wanna-be lovers, too bad, Kurumu-san is already married. Time to cry in our cereal!" Spinning back to her he asked, "Did you have some inspiration when you wrote these songs?"

Kurumu nodded, not quite sure what to make of this guy. "Yes, 'what it means to be young', I wrote for friends of mine. It was a song to say how quickly our joy can be taken from us, and to cherish what we have."

Balling his fists and leaning back, he cried, "Ohhhh! I just knew there was a deep meaning there someplace! Say, I bet your song, Yokai love, was written for some special guy?"

"Yes, my husband," Kurumu said with a giggle at his over-the-top way of asking questions.

As if suddenly thinking of something, he asked, "Say, are you related to those Aono's up on Witch Hill?"

"Tsukune is my husband."

The man gapped at her and all but shouted, "No way! So like you are a noble or something?"

"Well, Tsukune and Moka are heirs to Queen Akasha's throne, so I imagine so," Kurumu said, eyeing him.

"You're a Princess then, right?"

"I guess I am," Kurumu agreed with a smile.

Snapping his head to look at the camera, he said, "WOW! This is amazing! I got to meet THE Princess of pop!" Turning back to Kurumu, he said, "But, hold on, Lord Aono and Lady Aono are vampires, aren't they?"

"And I'm a yokai also," Kurumu told him.

"So, do they like, suck people's blood?"

Kurumu grew a crooked grin. "Oh yes, but I promised I wouldn't talk about that. I already got in trouble for giving Tsukune a nip on TV."

"NO WAY, on TV?"

"I didn't mean to!" Kuruku said quickly. Lacing her fingers together nervously, she explained, "It's just that he was looking like he needed it. I didn't know people were watching."

"So like, doesn't it hurt?"

Kuruku shook her head. With a shrug, she said, "It actually feels ... pretty good."

Cracking his own grin, he said, "Come on you can tell Ki-jo. What's it really feel like?"

Kurumu thrust a fist in the air and cried, "YA-HOOOO!"

"That good?"

"Hey, a nip with sex always crumbles the cookie," Kurumu said with a gleam in her eye.

"Wow! Now how did you do that?" he asked, partially raising a fist.

"YA-HOOO!" Kurumu cried, thrusting her fist in the air again.

"YA-HOO!" Ki-jo responded, mimicking her motions. "Wow, even your cheer makes me feel good!"

"So like, everyone out there watching Music Beat wants to know when we can see The Flying Yokai up on stage again. Do you have a tour planned?"

"Our manager is arraigning a performance in Tokyo," Kurumu assured him.

"YES!" Ki-jo cried, pumping his fist. "It will be great to see you up there!" To the camera he added, "That's right! June fifth, in Tokyo, you too can see The Flying Yokai LIVE in concert. Not ONLY will you get to hear their great songs, but they also put on a great show, with NO WIRES! You'll be able to see why they are called The Flying Yokai!"

Jabbing a finger at the camera, he said, "SO do yourself a favor, come see The Flying Yokai live in TOKYO! This has been a Ki-jo interview with Princess Aono Kurumu of the Flying Yokai! See you all in Tokyo on June fifth!"

He waved heartily so Kurumu did the same.

Once the camera turned off, Ki-jo was a little more subdued. He bowed to Kurumu. "Thank you so much for the interview. It will be on a Music Beat short next week, and run up until the concert."

"Thank you for coming," Kurumu said, returning his bow. She wasn't excited about the interview, but apparently it was important.

Kata came out and got Ki-jo's attention. Ki-jo and Kata retired to the office. The cameraman filmed a 'practice session' that was already a song they knew well, 'Yokai Love'. After that song, they got to work on another one as the cameraman watched. Towards the end of the practice, they had a good grasp on the new song, and the 'Music Beat' men had left. Kata hung around to show Kurumu a couple songs she had bought for them to play. Kurumu read them over with the band. They picked at a few lyrics and decided to think about it.

"Excuse me," Kata said firmly after Kurumu and the band had discussed the songs. "You have to get these songs down. You'll be playing them for the concert."

Kurumu eyed her. "We haven't decided if we like them yet," she explained.

Kata's brow furrowed. "Listen, you haven't gotten to the point where you can accept or reject songs. You need to expand your song base, and this one you'll be singing with Chiyo," she said, pointing to one of the music sheets.

"Who?"

"Chiyo is the singer who you opened for during the spring concert here. This is for the benefit of all your careers," Kata explained. Grabbing her brief case, she said, "I have to go, please make sure you study those songs well."

Kurumu watched her leave, not happy about being told to sing a song neither she nor the band was excited about. Some of the lyrics did appeal to her, many they could rework the songs to something usable.


	19. Chapter 19

Capu4 ch19 **Artistic license**

Kurumu usually didn't watch much television, but made a point to start catching episodes of Music Beat! to see when she would be on. A call from Kata told her when the first short would be aired. Kurumu bothered everyone, so her whole family could see her first TV appearance.

Apollo arrived to talk to Tsukune about an odd feeling he had. From everything he could see, Tsukune was doing well talking to humans and getting everyone to accept each other. Still, Apollo had this dark feeling he couldn't shake that something bad was on the horizon. Bad as in major destruction. Kobayashi was no more thanks to Tsukune, though Apollo had lectured him about jumping back in time and risking his life like that when he had wives and children he was responsible for.

Tsukune's reaction was part of his dilemma. Bright and cheerful - even though he could barely move. When Apollo lectured him, Tsukune agreed heartily with him, almost as if a great disaster HAD been averted. The boy took everyones admonishments in stride, grinning like a fool back at them. It was like Tsukune knew something no one else did. Apollo had to find out what that was.

Coming to the ornate polished doors of the Aono manor, Apollo knocked.

The door flew open. Apollo saw Kurumu's face. He bowed to her. "Greetings... ack!"

"Come on, it's almost time!" Kurumu said as she grabbed him by the shoulder strap of his robe and towed him inside. As Apollo stumbled along, Kurumu told him what the rush was. "You've got to see this too, I want everyone to see it. I'm on TV, I got interviewed for the band!"

"OK, OK, I can walk by myself!" Apollo complained.

"Don't walk, run!" Kurumu coached.

Kurumu led Apollo into a large sitting room that had a new two by three meter large screen TV. In front of the huge screen, Apollo swore half the population of Witch Hill was gathered. All the Aono's were there, as was Hosoi, Ruby and Mariko, Queen Lucy and her clan, all of the maids, and a few students. On the screen, a music show was playing.

"Sit here," Kurumu instructed, and sat Apollo down by Lucy, who cast him an evil eye before ignoring him. Kurumu then shot back to her seat on one side of Tsukune.

"Greetings, Queen Lucy," Apollo offered.

Lucy sniffed, not even looking at him.

"Hi Apollo!" Nana said with a hearty wave.

"Greetings, Lady Nana," Apollo replied with a smile.

"Hey, it's ON!" Kurumu called, pointing to the screen.

On the television, A video came on of the band playing 'Yokai Love' in their loft.

Ki-jo's voice says, "Come and meet the new rising star in the music world! Her name is Aono Kurumu, and she is like no other singer we've EVER seen before. Miss Aono is a bona-fied yokai. That's right folks, she has a great voice, great songs, and WINGS!"

From beside Tsukune, Kurumu asked, "Huh?"

A short video of the concert Kurumu did comes on, showing her flying up to stand on the light bar and pump her fist to the beat of the music.

"So, who is this winged wonder with the angelic voice? Let's meet her!" Ki-jo said excitedly.

The scene changes to Ko-ji outside the loft office with Kurumu coming out.

Ki-jo announced, "And HEEERE she is! The lead singer of the Flying Yokai, Aono Kurumu! Get ready, for a Ki-jo interview! Miss Aono, all your fans are wondering about your songs. Like for instance, 'Yokai Love' has hit number three on the music charts, and 'Tonight is what it means to be young' is number two, about to become number one!" he said excitedly as he raised a finger.

"What did you want to know?" Kurumu asked.

"Did you have some inspiration when you wrote these songs?" he asked excitedly.

Kurumu nodded, eyeing him. "Yes, 'what it means to be young', I wrote for friends of mine. It was a song to say how quickly our joy can be taken from us, and to cherish what we have."

Balling his fists and leaning back, he cried, "Ohhhh! I just knew there was a deep meaning there someplace! Say, I bet your song, 'Yokai love', was written for some special guy?"

"Yes," Kurumu said with a giggle.

"So like, everyone out there watching Music Beat wants to know when we can see The Flying Yokai up on stage again. Do you have a tour planned?"

"Our manager is arraigning a performance in Tokyo," Kurumu assured him.

"All right! So, are you eager to party with all those single guys in Tokyo?"

Kurumu grew a crooked grin. "Oh yes, but I promised I wouldn't talk about that."

Cracking his own grin, Ki-jo said, "Come on you can tell Ki-jo. What's it really feel like?"

Kurumu thrust a fist in the air and cried, "YA-HOOOO!"

"That good?"

"Hey, a nip with sex always crumbles the cookie," Kurumu said with a gleam in her eye.

"Wow! Now how did you do that?" he asked, partially raising a fist.

"YA-HOOO!" Kurumu cried, thrusting her fist in the air again.

"YA-HOOO!" Ki-jo responded, mimicking her motions. "Wow, even your cheer makes me feel good! So, you're going to do some partying in Tokyo?"

"I guess I am," Kurumu agreed with a smile.

Sitting up now, Kurumu stares at the TV. "That's not how it went!" she yells at it.

"All right!" Snapping his head to look at the camera, Ki-jo said, "WOW! This is amazing! I got to meet THE Princess of pop!"

"It will be great to see you in Tokyo!" Ki-jo said to Kurumu. To the camera Ki-jo added, "That's right! June fifth, in Tokyo, you too can see The Flying Yokai LIVE in concert. Not ONLY will you get to hear their great songs, but they also put on a great show, with NO WIRES! You'll be able to see why they are called The Flying Yokai!"

Jabbing a finger at the camera, he said, "SO do yourself a favor, come party with Kurumu and The Flying Yokai live in TOKYO! This has been a Ki-jo interview with Princess Aono Kurumu of the Flying Yokai! See you all in Tokyo on June fifth!"

He waved heartily, Kurumu did the same. A script came up with the concert hall and ticket ordering information.

Kurumu jumped up and yelled at the television. "That's not right!" Spinning back to Tsukune, she pointed at the offending screen and said, "They changed it! That is NOT what I said. They made me look like drunken SLUT!"

Sounding semi-sympathetic, Ruby said, "OH, Kurumu, we all know you're not a drunk."

Kurumu stared at her briefly, then told Tsukune. "I told them I was married, we talked about you and my family! They cut all that out and ... " Flushing with anger, she stated, "I'm going to go kick their ASS!"

Tsukune jumped up and grabbed Kurumu as she moved to storm out. "Whoa, hold on. You can't go beating them up."

"Yes I can," Kurumu replied.

"No!" Tsukune insisted, and made her sit down.

"Kurumu, why don't you ask them to change it?" Moka asked.

Letting out a huff, Kurumu crossed her arms over her chest as a tear came to her eye. "They tricked me!" she spat.

"What do you expect from humans?" Lucy asked.

"That's not fair," Apollo said sternly as he glared at Lucy.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "What would you call it?"

"Not all humans are like that," he said sternly.

Lucy let out a sniff. "Very few aren't."

"That was mean of them," Nana agreed.

"Kurumu," Moka coaxed as she leaned closer, "I'm sure you can use your charm to settle this."

"No, no charming," Tsukune said firmly.

"I can't let them get away with this!" Kurumu cried.

Ren leaned over Kurumu's shoulder and said, "Find a way to get back at them."

"No violence, no charming," Tsukune added.

Tears running down her face, Kurumu hit the remote, turning the TV off. "Never again," she swore.

.

Kurumu didn't make band practice the next day. She was thankful that Tsukune and Moka stayed by her all night, but she was too upset to do anything more than cuddle. The nerve of those people! Not only did they lie about her, then made her lie about herself!

Kurumu tried her best to enjoy their babies. Kumiko and Akem's laughs and antics did raise her mood some, but even they seemed to know something was wrong. They got her into a baby-talk conversation, standing to either side of her,ga-ga, ya-ya'ing at each other. When she smiled a genuine smile at them, they laughed.

Yuki came in and announced, "Lady Kurumu, someone by the name of Suzuki Hiroka is on the phone for you."

It was the base player in the band. "I'll take it," Kurumu told her.

Yuki brought the phone in for her.

"Hi Hiroka-san," Kurumu said as Akemi gazed intently at the phone.

"Gi-ga!" Kumiko announced as she tried to reach for the phone.

"Kurumu, we're wondering if something happened to you," Hiroka said.

"No, I'm just not feeling the best today," Kurumu mussed.

"Anything to do with that short Music Beat aired?"

Kurumu's hand tightened on the phone. "They made me out to be a drunken whore!" she growled. "Tsukune forbid me to teach them a lesson, or I'd rip their lungs out for what they did!"

"Can I make a suggestion?" Hiroka asked. "We know those music people are pretty controlling, but, right now, people have their eye on you. We've suffered from their dealings before. It seems to me the best way to stick them good, is to prove to everyone what liars they really are. Us guys know you are a good family girl, but they only want to promote the loose, carefree idols. Look, we want to make a living, I got kids too. People are hyped about you, we can use that to our advantage. We got an idea me and the boys were talking about to set people straight, and still get our music out. Want to hear it?"

"A chance to get back at them? Sure!"

Kurumu listened, and she was liking what Hiroka was saying. They had what sounded like a solid plan. If it worked, the band would get recognition, and Ki-jo and Music Beat would be put out of favor with their fans.

.

Tsukune walked with Apollo back from the site where Mother Superior's church was going to be built. The idea of a witch being a catholic nun spun Tsukune's head, but Angela did have much to offer Witch Hill in spiritual guidance. Although she was true to her religion, she didn't try to push in on anyone. What she did push were things like obeying the golden rule, and being decent to one another, which Tsukune agreed with heartily. Apollo also agreed to help built the church, he and Angela also got along famously.

"So, young Lord Aono," Apollo said in a light tone, "What happened when you went back in time?"

Taken off guard by the question, Tsukune asked, "Huh? What do you mean? You were there, weren't you?"

Apollo cracked a smirk and said, "Let me ask another way. How about, what was happening before you went back?"

Tsukune frowned and looked off at nothing. "Bad things," he said quietly.

"How bad?" Apollo asked, watching him closely.

Tsukune blew out a breath and asked, "Do you remember telling me that you hoped I enjoyed my years of innocence, for now they are over?"

"No, but that sounds like something I'd say. When did I say this?" Apollo asked.

Tsukune swallowed. "When we were walking in from the gate in front of the school. The police had Witch Hill surrounded with men and armored vehicles, and we had an army around the fence keeping them out," he explained. "Kobayashi had ... poisoned humans' minds against us. He had made sure there was going to be a war. That's why I had to go back and fight him. To prevent Ren from dying, and the escalations that followed." Rubbing the back of his neck, he added, "I'm not sure, but I think he had been sabotaging every attempt you had been making to bringing peace between the species."

Apollo thought about it. After a moment, he said, "Yes, I can see him doing that. That would explain much."

"It didn't matter if I didn't come back," Tsukune said firmly. "The instant I stepped through, I was sure I was doomed. I had to change history, for everyone's sake."

"Any how many died before you went back?"

"Too many to count," Tsukune said quietly.

Apollo put a arm around Tsukune and said, "I'm proud of you. Who else knows about this?"

"I had to tell Moka, no one else knows."

"You do know it may happen again, even without Kobayashi instigating problems," Apollo said in warning.

"Yeah," Tsukune agreed with a heavy breath. Frowning in thought he said, "We'll have to be careful, but I still believe we can do it."

"You are doing well working with the Mayor, and keeping a watch on things here," Apollo said in a mussing tone. "But what happens when yokai go out beyond your control? Say, Yokai appear in Europe, and problems develop there that you don't even know about?"

"I guess I'll have to find out what's happening there before problems arise," Tsukune said.

"How will you do that?" Apollo asked.

"Right now, I don't know," Tsukune said honestly. He wished he had an answer.

"Well young Aono, i trust you'll come up with something soon to rectify that possibility" Apollo commented, his voice dripping with concern "For all the things I am capable of, I am far from omnipresent. With the population of humans at the highest that it has been in ten thousand years, a single incident may sweep any nation with like a wildfire."

"That's why the great barrier was erected, to keep that from ever happening?" Tsukune asked although was already aware of the answer.

"Indeed. What the humans lack in power to many of the species you have come to know as Yokai, they make up for in adaptability and number. I knew it would be neigh impossible to simply keep the varying species isolated within small communities." Apollo explains, thinking for a short moment he continued. "Your method is far from the easiest one. Unfortunately, child, you have overlooked the matter that those in Europe, Africa, Australia, the Americas and the rest of Asia do not think with the same mindset as those in Japan. Working with the Mayor of one city is one thing and it is a miracle nothing has pertained to the rest of Japan, but the rest of the world is a different manner and of course there are Yokai who remain adamant in their hatred of humanity"

"It's those yokai, and humans we'll have to deal with then." Tsukune mused.

"Good luck trying, you have as much chance of converting the most innately hating yokai as I do convincing you to end this," Apollo said with a fatigued sigh.

"Yeah," Tsukune agreed.

"When you have lived as long as i have child, you learn a thing or two." Apollo said softly "I have encountered many who would claim fanatically woven aspects of Godhood. My species before their extinction fought the Vampires of old in opposition to their view of humanity"

"I...dont think i have ever heard of that." Tsukune frowned at the thought that Vampires and Harbingers were once at war.

"Its not surprising, I am the only one remaining of my kind" Apollo replied saddened "Only through circumstance do I remain...indestructible and immortal. As such the legacy of my kind has faded into myth before disappearing completely, both humans and Vampires have all but forgotten us entirely. The only remnants of my kind are none other then myself and the few documents to which only certain few are patient enough to look. Lady Andrea clearly among them."

"So what brought about this war?" Tsukune asked with intrigue.

"In short it was a difference of opinion" Apollo stated as he raised his left hand "Vampires believed humanity to be nothing but cattle. Human dreams and ideals meant nothing to them. Vampires held the belief that they ruled the world. We thought otherwise."

"And the Vampires won the war?" Tsukune asked more of an assumption rather then a question.

Apollo paused before saying, "In a manner of speaking. I am the last of my kind, there are still many vampires around."

The young Vampire looked at the Harbinger, curious as to why the answer was given after a pause. Tsukune noticed that Apollo was paining over some ancient memory and from the look on the Harbinger's face it was clearly one he was still tormented with. It occurred to Tsukune for the first time that Apollo had been fighting his whole life. His whole live that had lasted thousands of years.

They walked with an uncomfortable silence between the for a while. Coning upon the steps to the back terrace, Apollo stopped and spoke.

"There are only two things i will comment about for now, young one. The first of being, your method of which you deterred the fate of young Ren. Sparing my descendant grief and prevented an all out war, is something I would recommend you not overdoing. History will not allow the introduction of a paradox."

"What do you mean?" Tsukune asked.

"You must understand that history in its entirety is immutable. You can only create slight alterations without risking becoming a true irritant to what one could call the time line. And the more times you alter the time line, the more of an irritant you may become. You may create a fatal paradox of the utmost catastrophe."

"Ruby warned me about damning myself to being caught in a time loop. You're saying altering the past may doom everyone to something like that?"

"Possible. It is the irritant itself that is compensated for; in short it is expelled...bear in mind, there might be those who learn of this method you employed and might perhaps try to provoke it in which to do away with you. Tread softly young Aono and be on your guard." Apollo finished as he placed his hand on Tsukune's shoulder.

"And the second thing?" Tsukune asked, expecting more warnings of doom.

"Take care of those you care for. Cherish every moment, savor every experience, love them with every fibre in your heart..." Apollo's voice quaked slightly as he swallowed. "For you are never going to realize just how much each one of them means to you until you lose them."

Tsukune could see that this point was coming straight from the Harbinger's own experience and it was a very painful one at that. He remembered how bad he felt when he saw Kurumu lying in the courtyard, dead. Although Kurumu had forced her way into his life, she was still precious to him. He'd felt like a part of himself had been lying there with her. From Akasha and Moka, he had learned about the loved one Apollo had lost. "You still love them, don't you?" Tsukune asked gently.

"Not one day goes by that i do not grieve their passing Tsukune. You have no idea how much I love them. Claudia, Gabrielle, Vale, Helere, Lucia and even the den sister of Lady Ageha...Miyu."

Tsukune noted the wetness in Apollo's eyes. He wanted to tell him how sorry he was, but a loud voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Tsukune!" Kurumu cried as she ran towards them. Racing over, Kurumu wore an open, excited smile as she said, "I want to do a music video at the house!"

"A music video? Here?" Tsukune asked.

"Yes!" Kurumu replied, gazing at Tsukune with an intent look of determination. "It will take some time to set up, but Hiroka, one of my band members, thinks we can get back at those people for lying about me. They aren't the only ones who can use media!"

"You are willing to expose your family to the world?" Apollo asked.

"Yes! I want them to know I DO have a family, that I'm not some drunken floozie!" Kurumu stated as she glared at him.

"Oh right, I'm an idiot," Apollo said with a roll of his eyes.

Tsukune cracked a smirk and said to Apollo, "We're both idiots, remember?"

"Well, sometimes you are," Kurumu said defensively.

"Where did you want to do this video? Not in the family rooms, I hope," Tsukune said.

"I was thinking the courtyard, terrace, around the house outside," Kurumu mussed. 'We haven't decided."

"We'll have to talk to Moka about this," Tsukune said.

"I did!"Kurumu said excitedly. Grabbing Tsukune's hands, she cast him a pleading look. "Moka said it was OK with her, as long as you agreed. So pleeeease, can we do it?"

"It would be good publicity, IF it's done right," Tsukune mussed.

"So, is that a yes?" Kurumu asked anxiously.

"You may want to think hard about doing that," Apollo cautioned.

"You can be in it too," Kurumu offered.

"Being exploited to sell music is what I live for," Apollo said dryly.

"YA-HOOO!" Kurumu cried. "This is going to be great!" She then took off into the house.

"I didn't say yes." Tsukune's call fell on deaf ears as Kurumu disappeared inside.

"You obviously didn't marry her for her brains," Apollo mussed.

"That's true," Tsukune said with a sigh. "But I'd still be lost without her."


	20. Chapter 20

Capu4 ch20 **You always terrorize the ones you love**

Yukari had that dream again. She was in her magic room doing ... something, she wasn't sure what, when Tsukune came in. He'd held her tight from behind and whispered softly in her ear, "Yukari, my angel." then a short phrase that was unintelligible. He kissed her neck, which caused her to shiver in joy. "And I don't know why I have held off marrying you for so long," he added in a smooth tone.

"What?" Yukari had asked, not believing her ears that her fantasy was coming true.

"It's just that you are so sexy," Tsukune said smoothly. Reaching up, he fondled a small breast, whispering, "And these are so damn cute. Long sexy legs, and your sweet ass ... I just want to grip it and hold on."

As always, Yukari awoke as she tried to turn around to kiss him. She sat up in bed, feeling elated, and extremely frustrated. The clock on her dresser read 10:45. The same time it always read when she awoke from this dream.

What did it mean?

Getting up, Yukari marked another line through the day on her small calender. This was five nights in a row she had that very same dream, motion for motion, word for word. It was always the first dream of the night, and she always awoke at the exact same time. There was no coincidence here, that dream was trying to tell her something. The dream was very lucid, it felt like it was really happening. She knew everything Tsukune said, except for a few words after he called her his angel. She checked her Book of Shadows to be sure, but the dream she'd first written down was exactly the one she'd just had. She then jotted down a few notes.

_Tsukune called me his angel. He doesn't know why he had held off making me one of his wives. He does like my body. The words I can't hear may be the real clue. The reason he does not marry me must be something he's been saying that I have not been hearing. I must pay close attention to Tsukune. It may be something verbal, or his body language that I am not paying attention to. That has to be it!_

Yukari put her book away and climbed back into bed. She tried coaxing the dream to come again, but drifted off into a dream about being in the bath with Moka, and Tsukune coming in to join them.

.

The next few days, Kurumu had cameras around the house, taking video of her doing different things. Tsukune saw no method to her madness. Suzuki Hiroka had obviously done music videos before, and directed Kurumu on what to do. Not once did Tsukune hear them play any music. Instead, Hiroka videoed Kurumu doing things like playing with the babies, sitting down to dinner with them, dancing with her arms in the air by the pool, skipping through the courtyard in the rain, and to his displeasure, Tsukune woke up one morning with Kurumu snuggled up against him and a camera in his face.

Moka was harassed by Kurumu and the camera toting Hiroka also. Hiroka shot Moka and Kurumu going shopping and coming home, feeding the children, and a staged video by the pool where Tsukune, Moka and Kurumu sat in lounge chairs, sunning themselves.

Upon Kurumu bringing the camera into the bath with them, Moka lost her temper. Grabbing the camera from Kurumu, Moka smashed it on the floor. "Enough!" she cried. "Are you going to invade every last BIT of our privacy with that thing!"

Taken aback, Kurumu said, "But ... I just want to show how we live."

"THEY DON'T NEED TO WATCH US TAKE A BATH!" both Inner and outer Moka yelled at the same time.

Kurumu back peddled. "Sorry," she said automatically. "I'd make sure any improper parts were edited out."

Wearing a look of frustration, Moka pleaded, "I know you are excited by your project, but could you PLEASE show some common sense? Give it a rest, will you?"

Moka sat on the edge of the tub and rubbed her forehead. "And no more pictures until we all agree on some ground rules," she grumbled.

Kurumu looked at the pieces of the shattered camera and let out a sigh. "All right. I'll have to buy Hiroka a new camera anyway."

Outside the bath, Tsukune was about to go in. Upon hearing what was going on in there, he let go of the door handle and headed back to his room. He'd wait until they were done.

"Tsukune, can I talk to you for a minute?" Yukari asked as she stood in the hallway.

"Ahh, sure. Mind if we talk in my room?" he asked.

"Fine with me," Yukari said, wearing a grin. Somehow, Tsukune knew he'd just asked the wrong thing.

Tsukune went in his room, making a point to leave the door wide open. He put his bath things on his dresser, then motioned Yukari over to the chairs by the fireplace, away from the bed. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

Yukari sat down, tucking her hands between her knees. "Have you been having any strange dreams?" she asked meekly.

Tsukune shrugged. "Not really. Have you?"

Yukari looked into the fireplace. Blushing, she said, "You called me your angel. You said, you didn't know why you waited so long to marry me."

"What?" Tsukune asked weakly as the blood drained from his face. She'd remembered what he said before she'd sent him back? Oh no, she remembered!

"Yes, you said," Blushing deeper, Yukari whispered, "You really like my body."

She did remember. He was so screwed! Sinking back in his chair, Tsukune tried to think of something, anything in response. "Yukari," he said in a croak. His mind had gone blank, he could think of nothing to deny what she obviously remembered him promising.

"I know it was only a dream, but it seemed so real," Yukari said with a wistful gaze.

"A ... a dream?"

Yukari nodded. Sheepishly, she said, "I was just wondering ... I mean, I've been having this dream every night. I thought maybe you were dreaming something like it? It has to mean something! I am yours, Tsukune, I do thank you for bringing me back to be your Court Witch, but, maybe this dream is trying to tell us we need to be more."

A dream, maybe if he put it in terms of a dream as well, she wouldn't realized it really happened. Not looking at her, he said, "I've been having nightmares about ... bad things, really bad things happening. You saved us, Yukari. I'd rather not go into it because I saw many people die."

"In your dream, I was the hero?" Yukari asked.

Tsukune nodded. Cracking a weak grin, he said, "You helped me save everyone."

Tipping her head slightly, Yukari noted his pale face and slouch. "It really was a horrid dream, wasn't it?" she asked.

"It was."

Wearing a thoughtful look, Yukari asked, "Have you dreamed this a lot?"

"Not every night, but too often," he agreed.

Yukari stood up. "Then we must find out what these dreams mean," she said firmly.

"I don't think we need to go that far, they are only dreams," Tsukune replied with a wince.

Raising up her wand, Yukari stated, "I, as your Court Witch, will find out the significance behind these dreams, and find out what they mean for the peace and happiness of our family!"

"What dreams?" Moka asked as she came in wearing her pink house robe that matched her hair.

"Of Tsukune saying he wants to marry me," Yukari proclaimed.

Moka stared at Tsukune. "She remembered your promise to her?" she asked.

Yukari blinked. "Promise?" she asked. "What promise?"

Tsukune shot up, waving his arms. "No, hold on, that was only part of the dream," he said, hoping Moka would catch his stressing the 'dream' part.

Yukari looked at Tsukune. "You dreamed you promised to marry me?" she asked. Before he could reply, she told Moka, "I dreamed that Tsukune said he wanted to marry me, but it wasn't a promise. It is just too strange we are dreaming very similar things."

"It was more like a nightmare," Tsukune mumbled as he itched the back of his head.

Moka stared at them, then held her hands up. "Enough about dreams for the moment. Tsukune, you HAVE to do something about Kurumu, she tried to make a video of us taking a bath together!"

"Can I see it?" Yukari asked.

"NO!"

Kurumu peeked her head into the room. "Can I come in? I don't have a camera."

Frowning at her, Yukari said, "Get lost, boob monster, we're having a serious discussion here!"

Kurumu strode in, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "You get lost, you flat chested runt. This is MY husband's bedroom."

"He promised to be mine too!" Yukari shot back.

"In your dreams," Kurumu said with a snort.

"No, in HIS!" Yukari shot back, pointing at Tsukune.

Tsukune figured now was a good time to head for the bath. Getting up, he went over to Kurumu and said, "Please ask before you take any more video anywhere inside the house."

Kurumu nodded. Casting Yukari a dark look she asked, "You really didn't dream you promised to marry her, did you?"

"I did not," Tsukune stated, then quickly left.

Yukari heard what he said. She also noted Moka wince at his words. She didn't know what was going on, but she planned on getting to the bottom of this.

.

Before she went to bed, Chris made sure her doll house was cleaned using the tiny duster and the scale sized sponge mop Kahlua had gotten her. Not only did she want to keep the generous gift she'd received clean, but also play-ready for whenever Kahlua returned. All five dolls of the house had names, the one girl doll she had dressed in a flowing gown had a 'secret room' up in the attic so if Kahlua ever needed to play and use 'Katie' to get anything off her chest, Chris could use the 'mommy' doll to talk to 'Katie' up in the room where no one could hear them.

Between school and helping Mother Superior, Chris didn't have much play time. Nana had played with her with the doll house a couple times, but mostly Chris kept it clean and ready for Kahlua. Once she was satisfied it looked presentable, she lifted the hinged roof and pulled the dust cover down over the open back, then got herself ready for bed.

Kneeling down beside the bed, Chris said her evening prayers, thanking God for the wonderful family she was becoming a part of, and asking that he somehow relieve Kahlua of the horrid job she was tasked with. Unlike the normal routine prayers, Chris prayed with all her heart for Kahlua. She desperately wanted that sweet, innocent woman freed from having to do things that made her cry.

.

In her rooms at Castle Shuzen, Kahlua was putting Mr. Bunny to bed. "Night, Mr. Bunny, sweet dreams," she said with a smile as she tucked the one-eyed rabbit into his small bed. She then saw her limiting earrings drop down onto his blanket. She stared at the silver crosses.

"Oh no!" Kahlua whined as she cringed. _Why now?_ Her mind cried. _This is Mr. Bunny, I don't want to kill Mr. Bunny!_ Kahlua braced herself, but the flow of Yokai power didn't come.

Curious, Kahlua picked her earrings up. She tried to put them back on, but they fell off again. "Uh oh, I broke them," she concluded. She had to tell father that this wasn't her fault!

"Father!" Kahlua cried as she ran out to tell him what happened. She didn't do anything, what could have happened? Thinking about what she was doing when her earrings fell off, she called, "Father, Mr. Bunny broke my earrings!"

.

For over a week now, Lucy was feeling very nervous about Kouta's safety. There wasn't any obvious threat to him, other than Yuka's jealous smack whenever he showed her any affection. She had felt nothing out of the ordinary, except Apollo coming to visit, but she didn't think that he would bother Kouta. Still, she had this overwhelming fear something horrible was going to happen to him. She needed to keep a close eye on Kouta.

Lucy hated the fact that Yuka was going to college with him while Lucy herself was in school here on Witch Hill. Not only did that give Yuka more time to harass Kouta into not attempting to show her any affection, but Yuka had no way to defend Kouta if something were to happen.

By helping out Ruby and assisting Mother Superior begin building her church, Lucy had gotten some money from the school. Instead of going shopping for herself, she bought a pair of cell phones. This evening, she waited until they were going to bed, then stopped at Yuka's room.

"Come in," Yuka called when Lucy knocked.

Not wanting to waste time, Lucy went in and handed Yuka a cell phone. "This is for you. If anything happens to Kouta, even a minor threat, call me immediately," Lucy explained.

Yuka eyed her curiously, not taking the phone. "What could happen at school?" she asked.

"Take it!" Lucy snapped. "It's bad enough that he's so far away from me during the day."

Yuka gave her a sideways glance. "If you want to call Kouta, you should give it to him," she said in a snooty tone.

Not in the mood for Yuka's jealous attitude, Lucy growled, "You BAKA! This is in case Kouta gets in trouble. If anything happens, even if it looks like he's going to get into trouble, you call. Understood?"

"We're not in high school any more," Yuka said haughtily. "People do grow up, not that Kouta was ever the type of person to get into fights. You just want to a way to find out what we're doing."

Lucy slipped her vectors out. She jerked Yuka's hand palm up and slapped the phone into it. In a threatening tone, Lucy said, "I will only say this once. If anything at all happens to Kouta and you don't call me, I will tear you apart. I'll splatter your bloody corpse into so many pieces no one will ever guess you used to human!"

Yuka's eyes grew wide at Lucy's threat. There was no doubt the powerful yokai was serious. "Leave me alone, please," Yuka squeaked.

"Call or else," Lucy snapped. She retracted her vectors and walked out. Pausing in the doorway, she looked back and added, "And do not slap or punch him again unless you don't want that hand any more." She shut the door to leave Yuka staring at where she had been, quaking in fear.

.

Yukari sat at her desk with her Book of Shadows and her notebook open, puzzling over how to get the missing pieces of this dream mystery together. She was sure all the clues were here, but there was something she was missing. Staring at the pages, she drifted off to sleep and the dream came again.

_She was in her magic room, she'd just turned around, showing her back to Tsukune. She could NOT do what he asked, both her and Ruby had agreed. Tsukune then held her tight from behind and whispered softly in her ear, "Yukari, my angel." then whispered a short phrase that was unintelligible. He kissed her neck, which caused her to shiver in joy. "And I don't know why I have held off marrying you for so long," he added in a smooth tone._

_ "What?" Yukari had asked, not believing her ears that her fantasy was coming true._

_ "It's just that you are so sexy," Tsukune said smoothly. Reaching up, he fondled a small breast, whispering, "And these are so damn cute. Long sexy legs, and your sweet ass ... I just want to grip it and hold on."_

Yukari awoke at her desk, ready to hold Tsukune and kiss him. Her open book showed a large spot of drool. The clock in front of her read 10:45. As always, she felt anxious and excited, and disappointed that it wasn't real.

"Ohhh!" she whined as she balled her fists. This was driving her insane! She was angry that she couldn't figure out why she was having these dreams. Just as angry as when she turned away from Tsukune in her dream!

Yukari froze. There had been a new piece to the dream. She'd been angry at Tsukune. She had no idea why. Where her notes left off was where she'd slobbered on her book when she'd fallen asleep. Growling in angry at herself, she got a tissue and wiped off the pages. They'd have to dry before she could write on them. She used her notebook to jot down this new piece of information.

_New first part, angry at Tsukune. Why? He was in my magic room with me. If he was talking nice to me, why would I be angry? No boob-monster, no Moka, just us. I would have jumped his bones so hard, NOT wasted precious time being angry. So WHY? And what was it that Ruby and I had agreed on?  
_

Yukari put her notes away and got in bed. She relaxed, for she knew the dream would not come again tonight. Only at 10:45, and whether she was ready for it or not. _WHY?_


End file.
